The Dangers of Lead for Children

Jessica Smagacz

Contributor

0 CommentsPrint ArticleSubscribe

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement was passed in order to tighten the restrictions on the amount of lead present in children’s toys. Hopefully this act will lessen the amounts of recalls in toys.

Lead in toys is a concern, especially in children younger than 3 because they are the most vulnerable. Children less than three are more likely than older children to put the toys in their mouths.

Parents should check out Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for an entire list of all the toys that have been recalled.

Check out the US Consumer Product Safety Commission website for more information on the background of this new legislation.

There are other sources besides toys for lead exposure including houses or buildings built before 1978 (they are likely to have lead based paints).

What happens to children exposed to lead?

The lead accumulates in the body unnoticed, making any kind of lead poisoning hard to detect. Children who have lead poisoning have symptoms of loss of appetite, weight loss, learning difficulties, irritability, stomach pain, constipation, paleness (unusual), and vomiting.

Check out our past posts on lead: High Levels of Lead found in Toys from China & Mattel Paying out $12 million to Participating US states because of Lead found in Toys.