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 The Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall passes through downtown Wapakoneta Wednesday, September 1. Staff photo/William Laney By CARLA MEYER
Staff Writer
For 45 minutes, the roar of motorcycles could be heard passing under an American flag hanging from two ladder trucks. For 45 minutes, area residents gathered in the shadow of the Auglaize County Courthouse and Wapakoneta Fire Station waved and clapped as motorcyclists rode by.
The smiles and waves turned into clapping and cheers as the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall passed down Willipie Street on its way to Custenborder Field in Sidney where it was greeted by a field of American flags.
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Wednesday, 10 June 2009 |
 Drew Turner, 5, of St. Marys, is measured by Auglaize County Nursing Supervisor Cindy Jones during a recent visit to the Auglaize County Health Department. Children’s growth can be an indication of lead poisoning. (Staff photo/Karen Campbell) By KAREN CAMPBELL
Assistant Managing Editor
Despite many preventative measures, parents are being reminded that childhood lead poisoning remains a health risk for Ohio children between 6-months and 6-years-old.
Education efforts are being stepped up this week during Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week which extends through Saturday.
Most children are poisoned in their own homes with children younger than 3 at the greatest risk because they can eat or breathe in the lead without knowing it, according to an Ohio Department of Health release.
Auglaize County Health Department Nursing Supervisor Cindy Jones said even a small amount of lead can poison a child and the effects — learning disabilities, lowered attention spans, slow growth, hearing loss, juvenile delinquency and hyperactivity — can last for a lifetime.
The most common lead hazards are chipping and peeling paint and dust in homes built prior to 1978, when lead paint stopped being used, but lead also can be found in soil or dirt, children’s toys and jewelry, folk remedies and cosmetics, some ceramics and crystal, some imported foods and candies and painted furniture. Parents also may inadvertently expose children because of their jobs or hobbies.
Chipping and pealing paint from windowsills can be a major problem area.
Children, because of their height, often end up chewing on them on putting hands on them and then in their mouth or even dropping pacifiers into dust from the paint.
Lead poisoning can be hard to detect as many children will not look or act sick, but parents are urged to look for any signs of poisoning before it is too late.
Symptoms may include stomach ache, headache, tiredness and anemia, but for the most part, it is invisible, said Brenda Eiting, a registered nurse and coordinator for elevated lead levels for the Auglaize County Health Department.
Lead replaces iron and calcium in the body, affecting different internal systems, but primarily the central nervous system. It is most harmful to young children because it is easily absorbed into their growing bodies and can create permanent problems with development, according to information from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All levels of lead in children’s blood in excess of 10 micrograms per deciliter are considered elevated, but lead levels at half that have shown negative effects on cognitive development.
Children may be at risk if any of the following are true, they live in or regularly visit a house built before 1950; live in or visit a house that has peeling, chipping, dusting or chalking paint; live in or visit a house built before 1978 with recent, ongoing or planned renovation or remodeling; have a sibling or playmate that has or did have lead poisoning; or frequently come in contact with an adult who has a hobby or works with lead.
If parents can answer yes to any of these questions they should ask their physician for a blood lead screening test. A blood test is the only way to know if a child is lead poisoned.
Pregnant women also need to be wary of lead as it can cause babies to be born too small or too soon and can lead to a higher than normal chance of miscarriage, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
In 2008, 166,681 children were tested throughout the state and 2,672 were found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood. Three were in Auglaize County.
Of the estimated 906,000 children in Ohio between 6-months and 6-year-old, 36 percent live in housing built prior to 1950, meaning they are exposed to the possibility of eating or inhaling household dust from deteriorating lead paint — the most common way children are exposed to lead.
Statistics indicate that Ohio has as many as 2.7 million residences containing some lead-based paint on interior or exterior surfaces.
If lead is found in a child, Eiting makes a home visit to determine the source. If the lead appears to be coming from the home, extensive clean up efforts are made, with the Health Department providing the necessary tools to make sure the home is cleaned properly to meet standards.
“We go in and try to figure out where the lead is coming from and then coordinate removal based on our findings,” Eiting said. “It can be pretty extensive and overwhelming.”
Jones said high lead levels usually come down with just a clean up of the environment and a healthy diet high in calcium.
Health Board President Dr. David Nielsen said the important thing is making parents aware of the potential for problems before it becomes one.
“A lot of times it’s too late, once they learn about it,” Nielsen said. “The damage is already done. Early detection is the answer.”
Medical Director Dr. Juan Torres stressed the importance of parents taking the initiative to properly clean and remove clothing that may have been exposed to lead through their jobs before it can impact children.
He said many times factories that don’t require employees to take extra precautions are exposing employees to the same amount of lead as employees at other factories which require its employees to shower and leave clothes at the facility.
“Lead exposure can be brought home by a parent,” Torres said.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 12 June 2009 )
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