Lead Guiding

However, the CDC reports that, “There are no studies that specifically examine the impact of early childhood educational interventions on cognitive or behavioral outcomes for children who have been exposed to lead” (NBC News). So, it remains unclear what, if any, effect these interventions will have on the children of

(Campbell, 2016). Two giants in childhood lead poisoning research and advocacy, Dr. Philip Landrigan and Dr. David Bellinger, summarize the adverse effects of lead very completely, yet succinctly: “Lead is a devastating poison. It damages children’s brains, erodes intelligence, diminishes creativity and the ability to weigh consequences and make good decisions, impairs language skills, shortens attention span, and predisposes to hyperactive and aggressive behavior. Lead exposure in early childhood is linked to later increased risk for dyslexia and school failure.”(p. 3).

If the United States does not start regulating more toys more frequently, then the number of hospital visits in children will see a dramatic increase because of the continued exposure to lead exposed toys. This is going to

“…It drops your IQ, it affects your behavior, it's been linked to criminality, it has multigenerational impacts. There is no safe level of lead in a child." Dr. Mora said when she was talking about what lead poisoning does, and it is devastating, knowing that generations of kids are affected by this event and so will the next generation after them. This also could have been prevented if the state added anti- corrosive agents that would have cost about $100 a day, and experts say 90% of the problems with Flint's water would have been avoided. If officials would have done this then thousands of people would have been saved from

Lead poisoning has been a concern for many years. In fact, because of the affects of lead poisoning, there has been an extensive decline in its use. "Many people believe lead poisoning is no longer a threat, yet millions of homes contain lead based paint" (Heck, J., 2005, para. 1). Exposure to lead at any level is unhealthy, especially in infants, children, and pregnant women and continues to be an ongoing dilemma in this country. I read two articles concerning lead poisoning; the first article is from FineTuning, a popular press and the second article is from Pediatrics, a peer-review journal. In this paper, I will clearly summarize each article by comparing the content of both articles. In addition, I will summarize the attention to

Potential lead contamination from drinking water presents a significant health risk. Recent examples of this lead contamination include Flint, Michigan, a city that experienced a large increase in the number of people, especially children, who exhibited symptoms of lead poisoning. A March 9, 2016 article in the Washington Post reported data from the Environmental Protection Agency that indicated approximately 350 schools and day-care centers across the US failed lead tests approximately 470 times between 2012 and 2015. Seven years ago, according to the Post, a study concluded that hundreds of young children in Washington, DC, had potentially damaging amounts of lead in their blood due to contamination in the city’s tap water. The toxin can cause permanent developmental and behavioral issues.

The issue that I will be focusing on for my paper will the high lead poisoning rates in L.A. county children. As a mother, I am always worried about angers my kids are exposed too. I know the lead problem in L.A. doesn’t get as much attention, as say, Flint, but it doesn’t mean the problem does not exist. We also have

The major sources of lead here were gasoline, paint chips and water from old plumbing. After lead was removed from gasoline and paint, blood lead levels (BLL) in children decreased on average from 16 mcg/dL to less than 3 mcg/dL. Residual lead persists in the environment, however. A toxic level is currently defined as 5 mcg/dL. In U.S. children age 1-5, the prevalence of BLLs >10 mcg/dL decreased from 88% to 4.4% between 1976 and 1994 and further dropped to 0.8% by 2010. Yet there are still almost half a million children in the U.S. with levels >5

Nickert, the director of the childhood lead program in the city’s department of health and wellness. “And educators don’t know what they’re dealing with because no one’s told them.” The lack of knowledge about lead health in inner city communities hurts its inhabitants and the future health of its inhabitants as

The American Nurses Associations (ANA) is an organization cherished by most, if not all registered nurses. It is an organization that aims to improve the nursing career by offering opportunities on building nurses rights, practices, and views by the public. ANA is a representation of all nurses and acts as their voice in better improving the profession and revolving issues (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2016). The American Nurses Associations’ mission statement is as follows: “Nurses advancing our profession to improve health for all” (ANA, 2016). One issue that the ANA is trying to settle is the increasing amounts of pediatric deaths due to lead poisoning. “ANA supports lead poisoning prevention activities to reduce children 's blood lead levels to <10 micrograms per deciliter of whole blood” (ANA, 2016). It also supports screening activities to better catch this poisoning before it becomes deadly. Lead poisoning is very preventable among children and with support from the ANA; the United States could put a stop to this health issue. This paper will discuss how the ANA is governed, the legislative agenda, the issue of lead poisoning that they are pursuing to eliminate, how the agenda is communicated, and partnerships with coalitions.

Everyone is susceptible to the dangers of lead contamination; but children are especially at risk. High levels of lead in children can lead to brain and kidney damage and damage to red blood cells. Low levels of lead can also cause problems that are less life-threatening but can be just as devastating, like low IQ, hearing and language impairment, reduced attention span and poor school performance. In adults, exposure to lead can lead to an increased risk for high blood pressure. Pregnant women and their fetuses are extremely vulnerable to lead. In women, lead increases the risk of infertility and miscarriages; in fetuses, lead can cause low birth weight, premature birth and impaired mental and physical development.

Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States, and 81% of homes were built prior to 1978 when lead paint was eliminated. The state requires lead screening for all infants and toddlers. In 2015, 82% of Boston children were tested; 2.7% of those tested had lead levels >5 μg/dL on screening tests, with 2.3% testing 5-9 and 0.36% testing >10 on confirmatory testing . In June 2016 Massachusetts DPH compared data on racial make-up by census tract and rate of elevated lead levels and concluded, “After adjusting for old housing stock, poverty, and English language isolation, race/ethnicity is a driving factor of lead exposure”. Despite laws supporting abatement, the DPH estimates that only 10% of older homes have been deleaded.2 Massachusetts has a Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program that helps families reduce exposure to prevent poisoning and detect elevated levels to facilitate treatment.

In the 1950’s and 1960’s, lead poisoning was found to be prevalent in the slums of the inner cities. These areas were referred to as the "lead belt" because these run down houses were havens for lead exposure. The flaking paint on walls, the chipping plaster ceilings, and the old furniture exposed these children to a real hazard. Pica was an important contributing factor and children, ages 1 to 3 were at the greatest risk. Siblings in these situations were often affected and recurrence was common because the lead paint was not removed. The prognosis for these children became worse with each recurrence (Chisholm, 1982).

What are the educational, environmental and nutritional strategies to be implemented to reduced the incidence of lead poisoning

The authors made good use of the HBM theory as they were able to raise awareness in realtors who had little knowledge or different perceptions on lead prior to training. Researchers are working on finding solutions to keeping children’s blood lead levels down. Giving