Lead Paint Poisoning of Children
Do you know that the greatest risk of injury from lead poisoning is to children under the age of seven, whose developing bodies and brains are sensitive to even small amounts of lead, which can leave children with irreversible injury that does not appear until many years after the exposure to lead?
The kinds of injuries lead causes in children include:
- learning disabilities
- academic failure
- neuropsychological deficits
- attention deficit disorder
- hyperactive behavior
- antisocial or even criminal behavior
- neurological problems
- brain swelling
- major organ failure
- coma
- death
These injuries can be life-threatening or can prevent a child from realizing his or her scholastic, vocational, and financial potential, or from becoming a self-sufficient adult. Studies have shown that lead poisoned children are more likely to drop out of high school and to live a lifetime of unemployment. Lead poisoning can take important abilities from a child.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has concluded that the risk of a child's suffering the above injuries begins when a child's blood-lead level rises to a mere 10 micrograms per deciliter of whole blood. Once any lead is ingested, the damage is done and is permanent.
While there are certainly other sources of lead in a child's environment, it is universally accepted that the most common cause of lead poisoning in children is deteriorating (chipping and peeling) lead-based paint on the exterior and interior of residences where the afflicted child lives.
You can be sure that Top Notch Inspections, Inc. will provide a professional, thorough, accurate, and knowledgeable lead paint test for the health of your children and for your peace of mind.