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pathways to parenting are our
children
at risk of getting
lead
poisoning? with national headlines tackling the controversy in michigan?s water supply, parents here have questions and concerns about
lead
poisoning. dr. rodger elofson with associates in pediatric and adolescent medicine talks with us about dangers of exposure.
lead
is a naturally occurring toxic metal that was common to household paints before it was banned in 1978. dr. elofson says, ?most homes before 1950 contained
lead
-based paints. however, most homes today do not. even if there was originally
lead
-based paint, numerous coats of non-
lead
paint have usually been applied so that there?s no exposure. people need to avoid sanding down to the original coat if they are living in a home built prior to 1978.? dr. elofson says, ?
lead
poisoning in
children
is almost always caused by ingestion. small
children
love to put things in their mouth. imported
toys
such as those from china may have
lead
paint on them. other sources are some imported foods, cosmetics, and small batteries.? of concern is that
children
younger than six absorb 50 percent of the
lead
they are exposed to as opposed to five percent in adults. high blood-
lead
levels can have serious effects on a child?s brain development and nervous system. symptoms of
lead
poisoning include changes in behavior, difficulty with speech, language, or learning, and lack of concentration. if you have any warning that your child may have been exposed to
lead
, his blood should be tested. pediatricians can treat most levels of
lead
exposure. ew! don?t touch that toy! the hidden germs of child?s play we all know that
children
love to get messy, but their
toys
can go beyond the messy to being an outright haven for disgusting germs. with the love that toddlers have for putting anything and everything in their mouths,
toys
are first- line culprits in harboring the germs that make little tykes susceptible to illnesses. the toy giant fisher price suggests cleaning
toys
on a regular basis, whether you prefer once a month or a little more often.
toys
and equipment should also be cleaned after your child has been sick, when food or drink is spilled, and when other
children
have been playing with your child?s
toys
. different items can be disinfected in different ways. small plastic
toys
can be placed in the dishwasher or washed by hand. larger items, such as high chairs, can be wiped by hand with a diluted bleach solution and left to air dry. fabric items can be washed in the washing machine with hot water and soap. if you want to give those
toys
a real cleaning, there are two major steps you should follow. first, clean the surface of the toy with soap and hot water. this removes a majority of the germs that may not otherwise be removed. next, sanitize the toy with a diluted bleach solution of approximately one tablespoon of bleach per cup of water. this is completely safe, but if you do not feel comfortable using bleach, non-toxic sanitizing solutions are sold in stores such as walmart. besides being certain your child?s
toys
are clean, another precautionary measure you can take to keep your kids safe is checking the consumer product safety commission website to keep up-to-date on any
toys
that have been recalled. this website even allows you to search
toys
to see any recent news published about them. ? cspc.gov by madeline rathle may 2016 | brparents.com 17
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