Subscribe today for more stories, tips, and updates.

Cincinnati Children's Blog
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Healthy Living
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Heart Conditions
  • Learning and Growing
  • Research and Discoveries
  • ?
  • Blog
  • Healthy Living
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Heart Conditions
  • Learning and Growing
  • Research and Discoveries
  • ?
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us
HOME/Research and Discoveries/Heavy Metal Back on Radar Screen

Heavy Metal Back on Radar Screen

 

January 6, 2012
1 Comments
By: Cincinnati Children’s News Team

Lead never really goes away. The heavy metal doesn’t degrade. So, once a person is exposed and gets lead in their system, it tends to hang around and cause a lot of trouble – sort of like a gift from Hell that just keeps on giving.

And that’s if someone doesn’t get a high enough dose to kill them.

Off and on the public’s radar screen over the last 30 to 40 years, lead made it back into the news yesterday. An advisory panel recommended to the Centers for Disease Control that the definition of lead poisoning for young children be lowered from 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood to 5 micrograms.

The substance is especially cruel to exposed children – a fact borne out by extensive and groundbreaking research at Cincinnati Children’s and the University of Cincinnati (UC) over the last 30 years. The Cincinnati Cohort Lead Study is the longest-running research project on lead’s long-term effects on kids: https://bit.ly/yw6eSD.

In fact, researchers here have been looking into lead’s impact on inner city kids for so long that now they are studying how exposure is affecting the adult lives of these former children. Too often they are finding the story is one of young adults struggling to  cope with life, according to study leader Kim Dietrich, an environmental health scientist at UC and member of the CDC lead advisory panel that made the Jan. 4 recommendation.

Lead used to be a common ingredient in paint and gasoline. Its use has been banned for decades, but the permanence of its physical structure means the metal and its impact are still around – in un-rehabilitated older buildings, contaminated dirt, and sadly in the people who have been exposed.

Research shows relatively low levels of lead exposure can inhibit normal child brain development, reduce intelligence, cause various behavioral problems, and in some cases even contribute to criminal behavior. The metal has been linked to damaged kidneys and other organs, and higher exposures can cause coma and death.

Unfortunately, there are no medical treatments for lead poisoning. As Dr. Nicholas Newman, who directs the environmental health and lead clinic at Cincinnati Children’s, explained to Associated Press in a story on Jan. 5, the best option available is preventing exposure altogether.

To read the AP story, please visit: https://bit.ly/AkGhh3. For more information about the Cincinnati Lead Study, you can visit: https://bit.ly/yw6eSD.

Subscribe today for more stories, tips, and updates.

Related Articles

Would You Pass This Pesticide Safety Quiz?
Would You Pass This Pesticide Safety Quiz?
Happy Saint Patric’s Day!
Happy Saint Patric’s Day!
<strong>Employee Appreciation Week: The Legend of the Chip Wheelie</strong>
Employee Appreciation Week: The Legend of the Chip Wheelie
The Latest CGMs Provide More Freedom for Kids with Diabetes
The Latest CGMs Provide More Freedom for Kids with Diabetes
TAGS:
Avatar photo

About the author: Cincinnati Children’s News Team

The members of the news team at Cincinnati Children's are responsible for telling the stories of the medical center. Stories of the families we serve, research and clinical care, safe and healthy practices and happenings at the hospital. If it has to do with Cincinnati Children's, Danielle, Nick, Jim, Kate, Rachel, Terry and Shannon will keep you informed.

Write A Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

Heavy Metal Back on Radar Screen | obama2012news.com January 6, 2012 at 8:11 pm

[…] Healthcare IT gets political- How Judy Faulkner and Epic Systems are destroying Interoperability EXCERPT FROM Healthcare IT ARTICLE- https://cincinnatichildrensblog.org/heavy-metal-back-on-radar-screen/ […]

Topics

  • Cancer and Blood Diseases
  • Child Development and Behavior
  • Childhood Obesity
  • Chronic Care Networks
  • Cincinnati Walks for Kids
  • Featured Faces
  • Fetal Conditions
  • Fitness and Nutrition
  • Food Allergies
  • Ghana 2012
  • Health Care Public Policy
  • Health Care Quality
  • Health Care Reform
  • Healthy Living
  • Heart Conditions
  • Hospital Operations
  • How We Do It
  • Learning and Growing
  • Meet The Team
  • Nurses Week 2012
  • Patient Family Experience
  • Patient Flow
  • Patient Safety
  • Patient Stories
  • Pin of the Week
  • Radiology
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Research
  • Research and Discoveries
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Share Your Story
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • Vaccines
  • Volunteerism
  • What Makes Us Different
  • What's New
See All Topics
See Less Topics

Subscribe

Never miss a post! Sign up to get new blog updates delivered to your email.

Popular Posts

  • 6 Questions to Ask When Your Child Complains of Chest Pain 1.9k views
  • Caring for the Caregivers of Children with Congenital Heart Disease  1.2k views
  • Stuttering In Young Kids: When To Be Concerned 831 views
  • 4 Questions to Ask When Your Child Has Recurrent Croup 777 views
  • Laryngomalacia: Is My Child’s Noisy Breathing Serious? 627 views
  • Is it safe for my child with braces to have an MRI? 487 views
About

The Cincinnati Children’s blog features thoughts and perspectives from our experts on all things pediatric health. This blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Learn More »

Contact Us
  • 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3026
  • 1-513-636-4200 | 1-800-344-2462
  • TTY: 1-513-636-4900
  • socialmedia@cchmc.org
Connect With Us
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us

© 2009-2022 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center