Abstract
Lead poisoning is a serious but preventable childhood disease, caused by exposure to lead, which is found primarily in paint, soil, and household dust. Children come in contact with these sources of lead during normal indoor and outdoor play. Lead is especially dangerous to children under 7 years of age because this is a critical phase in the development of their neurological system. The implications of lead poisoning are vast, as the neurological damage it causes can lead to such problems as learning disabilities and emotional disturbances. Lead poisoning can damage a young child’s developing brain and nervous system, leading to reduced IQ and behavioral disabilities. Consequently, lead poisoning is associated with poor school performance and delinquent behavior.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alliance for Healthy Homes. (2010). Understanding new national data on lead poisoning. Retrieved from http://www.afhh.org/chil_ar/chil_ar_lead_poisoning_BLL_data_factsheet.htm
Byers, R. K., & Lord, E. E. (1943). Late effects of lead poisoning on mental development. American Journal of Diseases of Children, 66, 471–494.
Committee on Environmental Health. (2005). Lead exposure in children: prevention, detection, and management. Pediatrics, 116(4), 1036–11046. Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/116/4/1036
CostHelper. (2008). Lead paint abatement cost. Retrieved from http://www.costhelper.com/cost/home-garden/lead-paint-abatement.html
Dietrich, K. N., Ware, J. H., Salganik, M., Radcliffe, J. K., Roban, W. J., Rhoads, G. G., et al. (2004). Effect of chelation therapy on the neuropsychological and behavioral development of lead-exposed children after school entry. Pediatrics, 114(1), 19–26.
Environmental Health Watch. (2008). Childhood lead poisoning. Retrieved from http://www.ehw.org/Lead/LEAD_home3.htm#ClevelandRates
Kovarik, W. (2003). Ethyl: The 1920s environmental conflict over leaded gasoline and alternative fuels. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Society for Environmental History, Providence, RI. Retrieved from http://www.runet.edu/∼wkovarik/ethylwar
Kovarik, W. (2010). Ethyl: Henry Ford, Charles Kettering and the fight over leaded gasoline and the fuel of the future. Retrieved from http://www.runet.edu/∼wkovarik/ethylwar/
Landrigan, P. J., Schechter, C. B., Lipton, J. M., Fahs, M. C., & Schwartz, J. (2002). Environmental pollutants and disease in American children: estimates of morbidity, and costs for lead poisoning, asthma, cancer, and developmental disabilities. Environmental Health Perspectives, 110(7), 721–728.
MassLegalHelp. (2008). Tenants’ rights in Massachusetts: Private housing. Retrieved from http://www.masslegalhelp.org/housing/legal-tactics1
Mielke, H. W. (1999). Lead in the inner cities: Policies to reduce children’s exposure to lead may be overlooking a major source of lead in the environment. American Scientist, 87(1), 62–73.
Needleman, H. L., Riess, J. K., Tobin, M., Biesecker, G., & Greenhouse, J. (1996). Bone lead levels and delinquent behavior. Journal of the American Medical Association, 275(5), 363–369.
Needleman, H. L. (2002). Bone lead levels in adjudicated delinquents: A case control study. Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 24, 711–717.
Nevin, R. (2000). How lead exposure relates to temporal changes in IQ, violent crime, and unwed pregnancy. Environmental Research, 8(1), 1–22.
Reed, W. L. (1992). Lead poisoning: A modern plague among African American children. In L. Braithwaite & S. E. Taylor (Eds.), Health issues in the black community. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children. (2000). Eliminating childhood lead poisoning: a federal strategy targeting lead paint hazards. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/fedstrategy2000.pdf
Robbins, N., Zhang, Z., Sun, J., Ketterer, M. E., Lalumandier, J. A., & Shulze, R. A. (2010). Childhood lead exposure and uptake in teeth in the Cleveland area during the era of leaded gasoline. The Science of the Total Environment, 408(19), 4118–4127.
Thomas, V. M., & Kwong, A. (2001). Ethanol as a lead replacement: Phasing out lead in Africa. Energy Policy, 29, 1133–1143.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Reed, W. (2011). Preventing Childhood Lead Poisoning. In: Lemelle, A., Reed, W., Taylor, S. (eds) Handbook of African American Health. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9616-9_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9616-9_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-9615-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-9616-9
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawSocial Sciences (R0)