Is Your Child Exhibiting Developmental Problems? Learn More About Exposure To Lead Products

Research has shown that children exposed to lead can have developmental and emotional problems, some of them being issues they will have to deal with for their entire life times. While lead in products paint, gasoline and plumbing pipes have been regulated your child can still be exposed to it in other ways. Many parents are unaware of some ways their children can be exposed to lead. Learn more about some of the ways your child could have been exposed to lead.

Most Kids Love Playing in the Dirt

When vehicles still used leaded gasoline, the fumes from the gasoline contained microscopic particles of lead dust that settled onto the ground. Lead is found naturally in soil, but, when the dust from leaded gasoline fumes settles in an area, it becomes concentrated at levels much higher than it would naturally and it remains in the soil for thousands of years. If your child loved to play on the dirt, he or she could have eaten some of the soil contaminated with lead. Children are notorious for eating dirt, making it a likely way of exposure that could lead to serious developmental problems.

Window Treatments That Include Older Vinyl Blinds

Some older vinyl blinds imported from other countries can contain lead. As older blinds containing lead hang in the sun for a long period of time, they can break down and release lead dust into the air in your home. As the dust finds its way to the floor and other places, your child could inadvertently inhale it or eat it because small children are always putting everything in their mouth. If your child is at a window and chews on the blinds or touches them and then puts his or her hand in the mouth, lead exposure has occurred. Checking with the manufacturer of your home's older blinds about whether or not they may contain lead is an important aspect of protecting your child's developmental well-being, especially if your child is suffering with emotional issues like hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder.

If your child has shown problems with speech or has difficulty retaining information, he or she could be suffering with lead exposure toxicity. If you think you have lived or are living in a place that could be easy for your child to have been exposed, seeking the advice of your child's pediatrician is advised. The more informed you are about how lead exposure can happen, the better you will be able to prevent it from happening to your child.