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Knight Ridder Newspapers
(KRT)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Claudia Gonzalez got a scare when a routine blood test in 2003 found that Lilliana, one of her 1-year-old triplets, had dangerous levels of lead.
Kansas City health inspectors suspected flaking house paint as the source. But then they stunned Gonzalez by asking to test the gold necklaces her three daughters wore - baptismal gifts from their godparents.
Tests revealed the necklaces were loaded with lead.
"I did not expect that," said Gonzalez, who has put the icons safely away.
Because health officials caught the problem early, Lilliana's prognosis is good. But her experience reveals a frightening reality for all parents.
While lead-based paint remains the primary danger, health officials are increasingly warning that jewelry is among a wide range of seemingly mundane items posing serious lead poisoning risks.
"There may have been paint dust on the floor, but she (Lilliana) was so young that it is more likely her exposure came from mouthing the jewelry" she was wearing, said Amy Roberts, nurse and case manager for the Kansas City Health Department's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.
The scrutiny of jewelry as a potential lead poisoning threat comes as health officials are mounting aggressive efforts to rid the nation of this source of neurological and physical ailments by 2010.
The federal government estimates that 2.2 percent of children nationwide have toxic amounts of lead in their blood.
This month, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued new guidelines for importers and manufacturers of children's metal jewelry.
Under the policy, a piece of jewelry should not have lead content of more than .06 percent by weight, the same standard used for paint. Any piece that exceeds that level is subject to further testing and possible corrective action.
The tougher policy stems from the biggest recall in history of children's jewelry. Last July, more than 150 million pieces, found in more than 770,000 vending machines nationwide and in low-end discount stores, were recalled. The action followed reports of children having toxic responses to swallowing the jewelry.
Children are vulnerable to the cumulative effect of multiple sources of lead, said Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the federal consumer safety agency.
Roberts said the problem extends to fine jewelry available at many retail outlets, including malls and jewelry stores.
She keeps a collection of bracelets, necklaces and rings, purchased at area stores, that all tested high for lead.
"Sometimes with lead poisoning it's hard to tell where it came from," she said. "But with little kids, it's easier. If they have a bracelet, they are putting it in their mouths. We now test gold I.D. bracelets and religious icons all the time. They inevitably come up high."
Lead is used in making jewelry because it is malleable and gives it heft. Gold plating isn't enough to contain the lead, which can leach out.
Health officials point out that you can't tell whether jewelry has lead in it just by looking at it. If you suspect it might, you can call the health department for advice on getting it tested.
Roberts said health officials also have found high levels of lead in the eyelets of baby shoes, and in cups and saucers, as well as in the paint on deteriorating porches and fence posts in older areas, including both poor and wealthy neighborhoods.
Such a wide variety of sources makes the accumulation of lead a bigger threat to younger children, who are prone to indiscriminately placing things in their mouths. There are no safe levels for lead in the body.
But anything above 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood is considered dangerous.
The effects of high lead levels include neurological damage, delayed mental and physical development, attention deficiencies and hearing problems.
Effects can be reversed if the poisoning is caught in time. So state and local health departments now have programs to test children before the age of 2, when lead poisoning is the easiest to detect. As children get older, lead poisoning is harder to diagnose because the lead more quickly deposits in the bones, where it can remain hidden for years.
"We want to find children before they are exposed to lead," said Melanie Scherer, a nurse with the public health department of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan. "But if we can still catch it at these lower levels early, hopefully we can prevent permanent damage."
Joe Hamilton, 7, is one of the lucky ones.
Diagnosed with lead poisoning three years ago when his behavior suddenly became disruptive, the Kansas City, Kan., first-grader now is near the top of his class in reading. He began to improve shortly after his family moved to a different house from one in which health inspectors found large amounts of lead.
"It's frightening when you don't even know what's going on in your own home," said Tona Hamilton, Joe's mother.
Younger children are most susceptible because their growing bodies absorb more lead than adults' bodies, said Gary Wasserman, chief of medical toxicology at Children's Mercy Hospital.
In a child's immature system, the blood cells can't distinguish between lead and the necessary nutrients of calcium and iron. Blood carries the lead to the brain, where it wreaks havoc with the brain's ability to send messages.
"Across the country, health organizations have tried to eliminate lead poisoning because it is a preventable condition," Wasserman said. "Lead is one of the few substances the body has no need for, and yet it interferes with the enzyme systems of dozens of organs."
Although lead-based paint was banned after 1978, health officials estimate that in some ZIP codes 95 percent of the homes have lead-based paint.
Susan Thomas, coordinator for Missouri's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, said the number of affected children is falling.
Still, Thomas said, "there are a significant number of children we are finding with elevated blood levels. That's why we encourage the testing to be done at 1 or 2 years (of age)."
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FIRST GLANCE
-Children's jewelry can be a potentially dangerous source of lead exposure, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
-As children get older, lead exposure is harder to detect, so health officials recommend blood tests before the age of 2.
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THE PROBLEM OF LEAD POISONING
-U.S. officials estimate that 2.2 percent of children nationwide have toxic levels of lead in their blood.
-Local health officials estimate the number in the Kansas City area at 500 to 600 children.
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What's new?
-Lead-based paint remains the top poisoning threat, but other items can put children at risk, too. Among the culprits is metal jewelry that children can easily put in their mouths.
-The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued new guidelines this month limiting the lead content of children's jewelry.
-Children with elevated levels of lead in their blood can suffer damage to their brains and nervous systems, behavior and learning problems, slowed growth, hearing problems and headaches.
-If you suspect your child has lead poisoning, call your family physician or a health clinic.
-If you think your child's jewelry might contain lead, call your health department for advice on getting it tested.
Sources: Consumer Product Safety Commission and the EPA
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(c) 2005, The Kansas City Star. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service.
