Children the worst victims of lead poisoning

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Children the worst victims of lead poisoning

Developmental delays, anemia and irreversible neurological and kidney damage are

a few of the health problems for children exposed to high levels of lead and

heavy metals associated with some Superfund sites.

By Matt Carney, Staff Writer Oklahoman

Published: October 10, 2010

Developmental delays, anemia and irreversible neurological and kidney damage are

a few of the health problems for children exposed to high levels of lead and

heavy metals associated with some Superfund sites.

Lead poisoning is “insidious in nature,” because people tend to experience the

symptoms for a long time without seeking help, said Schaeffer, assistant

director of the Oklahoma Poison Control Center.

“The neurological effects we worry about more with the kids because of their

rapidly-developing nervous system,” he said. “If it goes untreated, it can be

irreversible.”

Weight loss, lack of appetite, vomiting and upset stomach are all chronic

effects of lead poisoning, symptomatic of many other diseases for which lead

poisoning is often misdiagnosed.

“The symptoms of ADHD and the symptoms of the effects of lead, there's a lot of

overlap there, there's a lot of similarity,” said Dr. Shirley Chesnut, a family

physician in Miami, OK.

Chesnut first noticed neurological damage among children from Picher and Cardin,

which is part of the Tar Creek Superfund site, in the early 1990s when she

treated them for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The children showed

symptoms of being easily distracted, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.

“We treated them for ADHD but I really think the actual problem was the lead,”

Chesnut said. “The proportion of kids in that school system, the Picher-Cardin

school system, versus the proportion of kids in, let's say, the Tulsa school

system, was significantly higher. It wasn't just coincidence.”

Chesnut began routinely checking children's blood-lead levels in 1993.

“The lab came back on the kids that we drew (blood from); probably 90 percent of

them had elevated lead levels.”

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