What is Lead poisoning
If you have young kids, it's important to find out whether there's any risk that they might be exposed to lead, especially if you live in an older home.

Long-term exposure to lead, a naturally occurring metal used in everything from construction materials to batteries, can cause serious health problems, particularly in young kids. Lead is toxic to everyone, but unborn babies and young children are at greatest risk for health problems from lead poisoning — their smaller, growing bodies make them more susceptible to absorbing and retaining lead.

Signs of Lead Poisoning

Many kids with lead poisoning don't show any signs of being sick, so it's important to eliminate lead risks at home and to have young kids tested for lead exposure.

When kids do develop symptoms of lead poisoning, they usually appear as:

• irritability or behavioral problems

• pica (eating of nonnutritious things such as dirt and paint chips)

• difficulty concentrating

• headaches

• loss of appetite

• weight loss

• sluggishness or fatigue

• abdominal pain

• vomiting or nausea

• constipation

• pallor (pale skin) from anemia

• metallic taste in mouth

• muscle and joint weakness or pain

• seizures

These symptoms also can indicate a wide variety of other illnesses, so if your child has any of them, talk to your doctor. A blood test may be necessary to look for lead poisoning or other health problems.

Treatment

Treatment for lead poisoning varies depending on how much lead is in the blood. Small amounts often can be treated rather easily; the most important part of therapy is reduction of lead exposure. Gradually, as the body naturally eliminates the lead, the level of lead in the blood will fall.

Kids with severe cases and extremely high lead levels in their blood will be hospitalized to receive a medication called a chelating agent, which chemically binds with lead, making it weaker so the body can get rid of it naturally.

All siblings of a child found to have lead poisoning also should be tested. Doctors will report cases of lead poisoning to the public health department.