Help! Slightly elevated lead levels in 3yo daughter
We just moved into our gut-renovated brownstone in June. As you all know, there was a tremendous amount of dust. We cleaned, cleaned and cleaned. We didn’t think to test our daughter for lead before we moved in to establish a baseline because we had no old walls standing at all, so we figured there…
We just moved into our gut-renovated brownstone in June. As you all know, there was a tremendous amount of dust. We cleaned, cleaned and cleaned. We didn’t think to test our daughter for lead before we moved in to establish a baseline because we had no old walls standing at all, so we figured there was no lead dust hazard. A few weeks ago, I got around to testing our household dust for test, and found a few areas where the lead test turned positive. I then had my daughter tested for lead and her lead level is 6 (as in 6ug/dL). The cutoff is now 10 but I’ve been reading everywhere that long-term exposure at even levels as low as 3ug/DL have been linked to IQ decreases as large as 7 points and delayed puberty, etc. What do I do now? I intend on hiring people to clean every single surface & vacuum out our HVAC system. Any recommendations for any such service? By the way, our daughter doesn’t put random things in her mouth and I would have thought she would be pretty safe..
This is not meant to be alarmist, just to clarify this discussion. A previous poster mentioned the 3 µg/dL study which I have pasted below. There are many good suggestions in the forum for dealing with lead (which we all have in our homes if the were ever painted pre-70’s).
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Lead can be harmful to children even at levels typically thought to be safe, according to two new studies. In the first, scientists found that lead causes intellectual impairment in children at levels below the current acceptable blood-lead level of 10 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL), and in a second report, researchers discovered that girls with blood-lead levels of 3 µg/dL showed signs of delayed growth and puberty. The findings suggest that the acceptable blood-lead level for children should be lowered.
The results showed that the relationship between lead levels and IQ is nonlinear, and the effects are the greatest in children with blood-lead levels below 10 µg/dL. When lifetime average blood-lead levels increased from 1 to 10 µg/dL, the researchers saw a decrease in IQ of 7.4 points. When blood lead levels increased from 10 to 30 µg/dL, they saw a decline in IQ of only 2–3 points.
Thanks, putnamdenizen – that is exactly how I feel. Coulda, woulda, shoulda – why didn’t I get a couple of crews in to do cleaning every month. Well, it’s not too late and it’s not as if my daughter seems okay. So all we can do is clean and mitigate the problem now.
There is nothing so awful as feeling that somethng you have done has damaged yoru child. My son tested above 10 his first test, and it was only after a professional cleaning that we got him down to what the pediatrician thought was acceptable (which by the way was 7!). She told us that we lived right in the Brooklyn lead belt – a combination of substandard housing with flaking paint and housing in the midst of renovation. Our situation was the latter. I felt horrible (and still do). I would suggest, as others have, to speak to your pediatrician about the steps you should take. As a nondoctor, I would also suggest having your water tested before cutting it off – bottled water doesn’t have the floride which your daughter needs. Good luck.
P.S. again as a non doctor I would ignore thsoe who are suggesting you look for sighns of lead poisoning – the amount you are talking about mya very well turn out to be relatively insignificant. Talk to your doctor.
P.P.S. despite his one time high level of lead my son tested into the “LEAD” program (oh ironies), reads music at age five, and won’t stop asking me questions. There will be many ways you will fail in protecting your daughter – this one sounds like you ar eont he way to having it under control.
Original poster: Thanks for all the comments, I only found out that her lead level was 6 yesterday when I called the ped’s office. I will definitely call cleaning services next wee k – I don’t think it’s toys, as she doesn’t play with anything that was on the the list. We drink unfiltered tap water, and that’s going to change as of today. She’s very independent, and actually gets her own water from the tap, so that will be one change. We will be more vigilant about hand-washing before every meal.
“I would ignore comments that suggest you’re overreacting. ”
which ones said that?
Remember it’s in the tap water too, if you still have your lead water main, which we do too, as ours doesn’t have dangerous levels of lead. Even if you don’t drink it, you shower and bathe in it, and can absorb some lead that way. One thing you could do is keep a jug of warm, filtered water nearby when bathing your child and just dump it on her at the end of her bath. Rinse the leaded water off with the non-lead water.
Have you noticed your daughter exhibiting the symptoms of too much lead? You can find the info online. I’ve seen before hyperactivity is one.
You are NOT overreacting. First of all, I would try to understand who is telling you that your lead level is .1. I have never heard of that. If your level is below three it is considered undetectable and safe. Second of all, do not compare your lead level to your daughter’s…totally different. Third of all, your three year old should not have a lead level of 6 from air pollution so I would take the steps you are considering to fix the situation. Have your house professionally cleaned. Make sure to keep areas around windows and doors clean. Enforce hand washing and continue to retest your daughter.
Your concern is totally understandable and you’re right to be proactive in keeping your daughter safe from lead in your house (or anywhere). I would ignore comments that suggest you’re overreacting. At this point, you might want to work with professionals who specialize in lead for both clean up and testing. We recently completed a renovation, and had our 2 year old son tested for a baseline lead level before we moved in (it was below detectable levels). We also had our house cleaned by an outfit that specializes in lead clean up and guarentees lead “clearance” (Microecologies, Manhattan but there are many others). We then had the house tested by an independent lead tester (Luke Gray, Brooklyn Lead). We did this voluntarily just because we knew we had disturbed surfaces with old paint and wanted to be as careful as possible. I’ll warn you, this all cost a fortune (Microecologies, not Luke Gray!). But we sleep a little better. Still, we plan to test our son again in a few months, just to be sure.
All those China-made toys that were recalled due to lead content?