Lead poisoning in children has been shown to have many irreversible and damaging effects. While effective measures have been designed to reduce sources of exposure, implementation of these changes, especially in low socioeconomic areas, lags behind. This disparity results in poor outcomes for many inner city children. An example of a child who was arguably a victim of lead poisoning is Freddie Gray, who, after failing out of school, eventually became the catalyst for the Baltimore Riots after passing away in police custody in April 2015.
In 2008, Gray and his siblings filed a lawsuit against Stanley Rochkind, the property owner of the apartment building where he lived as a child. The suit alleged that the children developed issues with aggression, ADHD, and antisocial behavior due to exposure to toxic lead levels from the wall paint.
Image Source: Joshua Lott / Stringer
While it is unclear how much of Gray’s educational and legal problems are primarily due to lead poisoning rather than the lack of opportunities due to his low socioeconomic status, studies have shown that toxic lead levels in blood do have an effect on the brain. Lead poisoning decreases the amount of gray matter in the brain, which alters attention span, emotional regulation, and impulse control. Exposure to lead during early childhood significantly increases the chance that a student will fail reading and math tests, even when controlling for factors such as poverty, weight, birth weight, and the mother’s education level. A study done in Chicago found a correlation between high blood lead levels and high rates of violence, poverty, and academic failure. In addition, lead poisoning can lead to ataxia, seizures, constipation, low birth weights, impaired sperm motility, and death.
Lead exposure happens in a variety of ways–most commonly, via lead-based paint, water contaminated by lead pipes, leaded gasoline, imported candies or toys, or food stored in lead-glazed pottery and porcelain. Blood lead levels (BLL) are measured via venous blood sample. The cutoff BLL value requiring intervention per CDC recommendation is 5 mcg/dL, which is the level at which changes in the brain start to occur. When Gray was 22 months old, his BLL was measured at 37 mcg/dL.
Awareness of the impact of lead toxicity resulted in changes aimed at reducing environmental lead exposures. Construction companies started phasing out the use of lead-based paint in the 1960s, and the 1970 amendments to the Clean Air Act led to the decline of the use of leaded gasoline. Routine pediatric screening has also contributed to earlier detection of lead toxicity.
Despite the effectiveness of efforts at reducing lead exposure in children, a majority of poorer inner city children are still victims of lead toxicity. The issue of lead poisoning is an issue of social inequality that must be addressed to ensure that these children all have the opportunity to break out of the vicious cycle of poverty.
Feature Image Source: Michael Ivanov
