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Lead Heavy Metal toxicity

Preventing and Reversing
lead Heavy Metal Toxicity

According to the CDC's estimate, every 10-ug increase in lead may cause an irreversible drop of 1 to 3 IQ points.¹⁴ In fact, the AMA report stated, "Exposure levels which were considered harmless are now thought to cause numerous health problems."¹²

Children living in inner city poverty are certainly the most vulnerable to lead poisoning, but better socioeconomic conditions are no guarantee of protection. The CDC found that, while 22% of black children and 16.4% of poor children living in older housing had levels of lead 310 ug/dL in their blood, elevated levels were found in 890,000 children, or 4.4% of all children.¹⁵

Any children living in homes built - or painted - prior to 1978 are at greatest risk to lead exposure from lead-based paint chips and dust. According to government estimates, 83% of privately owned housing units built in the US prior to 1980 - about 64 million homes - contain some lead-based paint. Lead is also found in drinking water, especially in cities with old, lead pipe-based plumbing systems or houses with pipes held together by lead solder. In Roxbury, Massachusetts, near Boston, for example, it has been estimated that 40% of the population is affected by lead poisoning. The source is the 100-year-old water system combined with the area's highly acidic water supply that easily dissolves the lead from the plumbing into the drinking water.¹⁶

A recently revealed source of lead contamination that appeared in many unsuspecting middle-class homes was a type of inexpensive vinyl window mini-blinds imported from Asia or Mexico. Lead was added to the vinyl to help stabilize it, but unfortunately, over time the plastic deteriorates from exposure to sunlight and heat, forming lead dust on the surface of the blind that young children could easily ingest.¹⁷ Public playground equipment, in which the old lead paint is chipping or peeling off, represents another recently discovered potential lead poisoning hazard for young children.¹⁸

Other potential sources of lead poisoning include old bathtubs covered with lead-based glaze, lead crystal glasses, decanters, and pitchers, antique furniture and toys painted with lead-based paint, printed materials like newspapers and magazines containing lead-based inks, and imported china and ceramics. Even though lead has been gone from gasoline for many years, decades of lead fumes may have seeped into soil near roads. Thus, it's best to avoid soil and dust or dirt gathered near heavily traveled roads. Even fresh fruits and vegetables should be suspect if they were grown in soil near these roads or near lead-emitting industries.

GETTING THE LEAD - AND MERCURY - OUT

• Remove lead based paint from home - but only when the children are out of the house, since the process of paint removal can release large amounts of lead paint chips and dust into the environment.
• Before drinking tap water, let it run at least 1 to 3 minutes in the morning or anytime it has not been used for 6 hours or longer. Tap water standing in pipes may dissolve unhealthy amounts of lead from pipes or solder. Better yet, install a filter that removes lead and other dangerous impurities.
• Use only cold tap water for cooking and drinking. Hot water dissolves more lead than cold water.
• When installing or repairing plumbing, make sure the solder used is lead free.
• Avoid using imported ceramics and china that may contain lead.
• If you have an old bathtub, replace it with a new one not covered with a lead-based glaze.

The most important source of mercury poisoning for most people on a daily basis is dental amalgam. You can reduce your exposure by requesting that your dentist use only composite filling materials that contain no mercury or other heavy metals. As for old fillings, as discussed earlier, having them removed may be more problematic than leaving them in, especially if you have a lot of them. In that case, the best solution may be to protect yourself with regular chelation.

THE CHELATION SOLUTION