Lead Poisoning Support Group
Lead poisoning is a medical condition, also known as saturnism, plumbism or painter's colic, caused by increased blood serum lead levels. The symptoms of lead poisoning include neurological problems, such as reduced IQ, nausea, abdominal pain, irritability, insomnia, excess lethargy or hyperactivity, headache and, in extreme cases, seizure and coma. There are also...
My 12 month old niece was just discovered to have elevated lead in her blood. After three blood tests, her number came back 16.2. We found the source of the lead in my parent's apartment. During the summer and fall the building was doing external work and the dust that came in was FILLED with lead. This is worrisome because it has been at least four months since the work was completed and I wonder what my niece's level of lead was during that time (dust poured in through the windows and covered all of the surfaces). Does anyone have any suggestions about what steps my sister can do next. She has an appointment in a couple of weeks to get a lead evaluation through the city of Chicago. But other than that, I would love to get some thoughts (both in and out of the box) about how to help my niece. Thank you!
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My 6mo twin DD's are EBF and just started rice cereal on the first. Everything has been going fine except this morning one of them had a diaper rash (lots of redness around her anus). I read this as one of the signs of an allergy. BUT I did just buy a different brand diaper yesterday (which they have used randomly before w/no issues). Do you think its the cereal or the diaper? Im ready to start...
Be warned that many pediatricians take the wait and see how it settles out approach. this does not mean that future tests with lower numbers mea the lead is gone. It could mean that the lead is being absorbed into her tissues so the blood tests read lower. A better test is to use a releasing agent and then do a urine test over a period of time. Check out "doctors data" for the testing. Not sure about all of the particulars since your niece is so young my daughter was 8 years old at the time.
Discovering the source is a huge step in the right direction. We were never able to find the source in my daughters case.
adult so I don't know if a child is treated the same way.
I was told the dmps challenge test (which involves being
injected) and then collecting urine for 6 hrs. or more
is more accurate than the
hair analysis test. I have not heard of a provocated dmsa
challenge test, I thought it was dmps? To test for lead.
Anyway, a good doctor should know about these things.
If they don't, then try to find someone who specializes in
heavy metal toxiicity or heavy metal chelation. You could
probably google this in your area.
Taking any oral chelators is tricky unless you are under a
doctor's care. They can stir things up and if proper binders
aren't taken the metal may not leave the system.
EDTA used to be used to chelate lead. I'm using that
but I do IV treatments. Good luck with this. And I would
seek help.