What Do Doctors Need To Do About Lead? fact sheet created 11 October 2006 Lead Poisoning is too often associated with children only The history of Lead Poisoning has indicated that much focus is placed on case management for people with a HIGH blood lead levels, in which HIGH is classified as a blood lead level over 10 micrograms per decilitre (10 µg/dL), based World Health Organisation’s goal to be less than 10 µg/dL [1]. Focus has also been placed on looking at lead poisoning in children. Doctors still need to ask questions, rather than just look for symptoms. The LEAD Group recommends testing on the basis of a parent’s response to the ‘Is your child safe from lead? pdf’ questionnaire, found on The LEAD Group website. Many studies have found children with lead poisoning have destructive effects in intellectual, physical and psychological development. Now, however, focus also needs to be placed on monitoring adults. The new found health effects of low lead levels in adults Recent studies indicate that even lower blood lead levels, as low as 2 µg/dL, can have catastrophic effects on a person’s health, including early death from heart disease, heart attack or stroke. One study, conducted by Andy Menke, MPH, of Tulane University School of Public Health in the U.S. found that 408 of the 14,000 participants that were tested and studied over a 12 year period died from a heart attack or stroke. They found that compared with adults with very low levels of lead in their blood, those with blood lead levels of 3.6 to 10 µg/dL of blood were two and half times more likely to die of a heart attack, 89% more likely to die of stroke and 55% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease [2]. Doctors need new Lead Poisoning Practice and Principles With this research coming to light, looking only for blood lead levels which are over 10 µg/dL is no longer valid. Not only do all blood lead levels that are detected need follow-up, but also more emphasis needs to be placed on prevention of lead exposure. A worrying belief of doctors is in fact that lead poisoning is no longer a problem, therefore they do not test for lead and do not attribute health conditions to lead poisoning. The overlooking of lead as a major problem in Australian health is highlighted by the absence of national studies of lead in adults and the rescinding of Australia’s Federal Health Policy on lead. Therefore there are no average figures of blood lead levels in adults or policy. The resulting problem for doctors who are not required to test blood lead levels in patients continuously over a lifespan, is that they cannot easily conclude whether health problems and death have been caused by lead poisoning. What should Doctors do? The role of Doctors is important in monitoring and preventing the normally overlooked health problems which can be caused by lead poisoning. The Lead Group is keen for doctors to understand that the majority of their adult patients are at risk of having a blood lead level over 2 µg/dL, due to every adult being alive during the era of leaded petrol. In order to reduce its harm, lead needs to be monitored by doctors in the following ways:
References: [1] This is based on the US Centers for Disease Control 1991 statement that having a blood lead level below 10 µg/dL is defined as “not lead poisoned.” Centers for Disease Control (CDC) “Preventing Lead Poisoning In Young Children” 1991 www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/Publications/books/plpyc/contents.htm [2] Source: WebMD medical News – ‘Lead in Blood: ‘Safe’ Levels Too High?’, by Miranda Hitti, www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=64228 |
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The LEAD Group Inc. Fact Sheet Index |
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1. About the Global Lead Advice and Support Service (GLASS) 2. Main Sources of Lead 3. How Would You Know If You or Your Child Was lead poisoned? 4. Lead aware housekeeping 5. Ceiling dust & lead poisoning 6. Is your yard lead safe? 你的院子是铅安全的吗 7. Health Impacts of lead poisoning 8. Rotary Questionnaire 9. Lead poisoned Pets and Your Family 10. Childhood Lead Poisoning Risk Factor Questionnaire 11. Is Your Child Safe From Lead? - What Can You Do About Lead? pdf 12. Lead in Drinking Water in Australia 13. Have We Really Resolved The Lead Issue? 14. The Importance of the Availability of "Spot Tests" for Lead in Paint 15. Pregnant or Planning a Pregnancy 16. Breastfeeding and Lead 17. Lead in breast milk 18. Beware The Lead In Lead Lighting 19. Renting and Lead 20. What to do if you have too much lead in your tank water.pdf 21. Lead Contamination in Stormwater.pdf 22. Contamination At Shooting Ranges.pdf 23. Banned: Leaded Wick Candles 24. Lead, Ageing and Death 铅，衰老和死亡 25. Metal miniatures: How to minimise the risks of lead poisoning and contamination 26. 7 Point Plan for the MANAGEMENT OF LEAD by Australian parents and carers 27. Countries where Leaded Petrol is Possibly Still Sold for Road Use, As at 10th May 2010 28. Lead Poisoning And The Brain - Cognitive Deficits And Mental Illness 29. Facts and Firsts of Lead 30. Lead mining royalties by state and territory 31. Lead Mining Stewardship - Grey Lead and the Role of The LEAD Group 32. Preventative Strategies of The LEAD Group 33. What do Doctors need to do about Lead? 34. A Naturopath's Experience Of Lead & People With Diagnosed Mental Illness 35. Case File: Helping Manage Australian Lead in Petrol - How GLASS Works 36. Glass Web & Service-Users, Experts & Volunteers, by Country; Countries with Leaded Petrol for Road Use & Worst Pollution 37. Lead in ceiling dust 38. Lead paint & ceiling dust management - how to do it lead-safely 39. Esperance parliamentary inquiry follow-up factsheet: Where to from Here?? 埃斯佩兰斯议会调查后续情况说明书：从这里去哪里？？ 40. Broken Hill lead miners factsheet 1893 with Note 20081015 41. Helping a Doctor Help 35,000 Lead-Poisoned People Around the Lead Smelter at La Oroya in Peru Ayuda a un doctor que ayuda 35,000 personas envenenadas por plomo alrededor de la fundidora de plomo en la Oroya-Peru 案例档案：帮助一个医生救助在秘鲁的拉奥罗亚的铅冶炼厂周围的35，000铅中毒的人民—全球铅咨询和支持的服务机构是怎末工作的 42. Fact sheet for Australian toy importers and traders 43. Iron Nutrition & Lead Toxicity pdf Informe de Acciones – Hierro y Plomo en la Nutrición pdf 情况说明书—铁的营养和铅的毒性 pdf 44. Sanitarium-Are You getting Enough Iron pdf 45. Do-It-Yourself-Lead-Safe-Test-Kits-flyer 46. Blood lead testing: who to test, when, and how to respond to the result 47. Dangers of a blood lead level above 2 µg/dL and below 10 µg/dL to both adults and children pdf 48. Lead Exposure & Alzheimer’s Disease: Is There A Link? 49. In CHINA - Blood lead testing: who to test, when, and how to respond to the result 在中国血铅测试：谁应该去检查，什么时候，如何对待不同的测试结果 50. Why you should have your ceiling dust removed before you take advantage of the Australian government's Energy Efficient Homes Package: Insulation Program 51. Alperstein et al Lead Alert - A Guide For Health Professionals 1994 pdf 52. Ceiling Dust WorkCover Guide Lee Schreiber Final Nov 1999 pdf 53. What can I do about climate change AND lead? 54. The Need for Expert Clinical Assessments in Diagnosis Of Heavy Metal Poisoning 55. Why you should have your ceiling dust removed before you have insulation installed 56. Thirty Thought-Starters on Ceiling Void Dust in Homes 57. Pectin: Panacea for both lead poisoning and lead contamination 58. Nutrients that reduce lead poisoning June 2010 PDF 59. Lead poisoning and menopause PDF 60. Fact sheet For Schoolkids From Professor Knowlead About Lead PDF |
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Last Updated 18 August 2010
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