Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Protect Children From Lead Poisoning
Each year in the United States, there are 310,000 children from 1-5 years old who have unsafe levels of lead in their blood, that can affect a child’s developing brain.
How is lead harmful?
Lead acts as a poison, once it enters the child’s body. Exposure to high levels of lead over a short time can result in acute toxicity. What happens when lead enters the body is that it gets absorbed into the child’s system and distributed throughout the body, and can cause damage wherever it ends up.
Lead can damage red blood cells and affect their ability to carry oxygen to the heart, brains, and tissues and lead also ends up in the children’s bones, which can affect their ability to grow healthy and strong.
Signs of lead poisoning
- irritability or behavioral problems
- eating dirt and paint chips
- difficulty concentrating
- headaches
- loss of appetite
- weight loss
- sluggishness or fatigue
- abdominal painkillers
- vomiting or nausea
- constipation
- pale skin from anemia
- metallic taste in mouth
- muscle and joint weakness
- seizures
How to protect children from lead:
- While pregnant, women should avoid some household chemicals such as paint, paint thinners, oven cleaners, varnish removers, and carpet cleaners.
- Have your child’s blood tested for lead poisoning.
- Check out your home’s plumbing (before 1970).
- Let the tap run for a minute before drinking water.
- Keep the home clean by using wet wipes to clean all surfaces and windows and windowsills.
- Regularly wash your child’s hands and faces and toys with wet cloths.
- Make sure children eat nutritious meals on a regular basis and have enough iron and calcium in their diet, which makes it harder for lead to be absorbed.
- Keep children away from busy roads and under bridges and in large areas of dirt—let them play in a sandbox.
- Don’t smoke—cigarette smoke contains small amounts of lead.
Kiley Law Group, located in Andover and Boston, Massachusetts takes time when speaking with you about your case and works with you on a contingent basis so there are NO FEES unless our skilled Boston child injury lawyers wins your case. Call now for a FREE evaluation of your case – 1-888-208-1695.
