What causes high lead levels in children? Be careful with these things around you

We all know that if the lead content in the human body exceeds the standard, it will cause serious poisoning and damage the brain, affect development, etc. When we mention lead, the first thing that comes to our mind is pencils. If a child’s body lead content is too high, we must think that pencils are the culprit. In fact, there are many things that cause high lead levels in children, and these things are often in contact with children. For the health of their children, parents must pay attention to the following things and understand the hazards of excessive lead in children!

1. Stationery

When we hear the word "lead type", we naturally think of pencils. However, the pencil lead does not actually contain lead, but the colored paint on the outside of the pencil does contain lead. Children usually put pencils in their mouths and can easily swallow a lot of lead.

In addition to pencils, oil pastels or crayons used by children for drawing also contain lead. Newly bought oil pastels and crayons are wrapped in a layer of paper to prevent children from direct contact with the lead, so parents should pay attention to prevent children from tearing off the outer wrapping paper.

2. Furniture

Furniture in your home also contains a lot of lead because lead is an additive in many paints. In particular, parents like to buy brightly colored furniture for their children, and even paint their children's rooms in colors, which invisibly exposes their children to more lead.

3. Toys

Many toys also use paint on their eyes, mouths, hands and feet. If children like to sleep with their toys in their arms, they will inadvertently inhale more lead.

4. Food

Lead is also found in many foods. For example, some canned foods have increased lead content due to the use of lead in welding seams; foods with high lead content mainly include popcorn made in containers with high lead content; preserved eggs that have lead oxide added to speed up their ripening; and puffed foods with added leavening agents (which contain large amounts of lead and aluminum).

What are the hazards of excessive lead in children?

(1) Excessive lead levels are harmful to intellectual development

Lead poisoning can easily penetrate the baby's underdeveloped blood-brain barrier and damage the brain, leading to mental retardation. In addition, excessive lead can hinder the absorption and metabolism of metal ions such as calcium, zinc, and iron, affecting the baby's physical growth and development.

(2) Excessive lead levels suppress immune system function

If the baby's lead content exceeds the standard, he is very likely to suffer from diseases such as colds, pneumonia, tuberculosis and hepatitis. It can also induce diseases such as high blood pressure, arrhythmia, kidney damage and mental and behavioral abnormalities. Since lead poisoning can cause permanent damage to a baby's brain, treatment should be sought immediately if the baby's lead levels exceed the standard.