Lead paint is just the beginning: Poisoning danger lurks in pantry, toys
Bans on lead in paint, gasoline and pipes have dramatically reduced lead poisoning that causes severe developmental problems in children. But another threat looms: More children have elevated lead levels from food and other everyday household items.
New research has found that lead in baby food and earthenware cooking items are risks for parents and families.
“We have to begin to think outside the box,” said Melanie Napier, a public health epidemiologist with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which investigated toddlers who had eaten cinnamon applesauce tainted with lead. State and federal officials found hundreds of cases across the U.S.
Napier said parents should be careful: “It’s still important to get your kids tested even if you don’t think your child has had lead exposure.”
Lead exposure risk, symptoms
Children under 6 are especially at risk of lead poisoning, partly because they put their toys, hands or other items in their mouths. They’re also at risk because their bodies absorb lead – a neurotoxin that occurs naturally on Earth – more than adults' bodies. Children with iron deficiencies, which are more common in babies born prematurely or with low birth weight, absorb lead at even greater rates.
Lead in any amount can cause myriad health problems for children, whether they breathe it in or ingest it. Very high lead levels can cause seizures, coma and death. Low levels can cause behavioral problems, loss of IQ and attention deficit disorders, as well as stunted growth and impaired hearing or speech.
Regulatory lead restrictions have resulted in declines in the percentage of children 5 and younger with elevated lead levels in their blood: from more than 25% of children in 1988 to less than 2% in 2014. But the bans probably do not address the exposure of all children at risk, experts contend. About a half-million children still have levels above the federal threshold.
Children enrolled in Medicaid have the cost of blood tests to detect lead covered. Many private insurers also pay for the same type of testing, typically with a finger or heel prick. Other risk factors include where children live, a consideration for families exposed to contaminated water from pipes in Flint, Michigan, or the age of their family's home; the U.S. banned lead paint in 1978.
Certain communities are at greater risk of lead exposure, including children of color, families living below the poverty line, immigrants and refugees, and people in older housing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But Dr. Paul Allwood, the CDC's chief of lead poisoning prevention and surveillance, said there is no "stereotypical child" of lead poisoning.
Hannah Hays, chief of toxicology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and medical director at Central Ohio Poison Center, said there's another likely culprit that isn't included in current regulations.
“Some of those laws to detect lead poisoning in children might miss children who are exposed through food sources,” she told Paste BN.
The 2023 lead exposure identified by Napier in North Carolina in baby food showed certain products can affect any family.
WanaBana applesauce
One concern in detecting lead exposure is children sometimes don't show signs early on. This was the case for four toddlers identified by Napier and North Carolina officials as having eaten WanaBana cinnamon applesauce, according to a recent federal report. State and federal investigators found 500 cases across the U.S. of children who had eaten the snack and had elevated lead levels. The company voluntarily recalled the product. Regulators found the manufacturer used Ecuadorian cinnamon tainted with lead chromate, a metal often used to brighten products.
The health effects of WanaBana’s food on hundreds of children are still unknown. Officials said they will need to track families to understand their development.
“In this case, I think manufacturers were not taking the issue of lead seriously, or the issue of the potential for lead to be deliberately added to their products,” said Conrad Choiniere, acting deputy director of regulatory affairs for the Food and Drug Administration’s food safety and applied nutrition center.
The FDA has made an effort to inform the food industry about the kind of lead contamination that happened in the WanaBana case, he said. That includes ramping up inspections and testing products as they arrive in the U.S., before they enter the market. International manufacturers wishing to export products to the U.S. must meet the same standards as domestic items, Choiniere said.
A global problem
The state of lead exposure reflects a globalized economy. About a third of children globally, or 800 million children, have blood lead levels at or above the threshold that requires intervention. U.S. products, of course, are imported from across the globe.
A recent study based in four urban American areas found everyday consumer products were a significant factor in lead exposure for children. Researchers from the nonprofit Pure Earth and public health officials in California, Oregon, Washington state and New York City reviewed 2,000 cases of lead poisoning. They found everyday products such as cookware and spices accounted for up to 38% of lead poisonings, though figures varied.
Many of these products were found in immigrant or refugee communities. They included ceramics, common in Mexican or Afghan households, and health remedies from China.
“There’s a groundswell really just beginning to try and fix this problem because of the the cost that it creates on global economies," Richard Fuller, president of Pure Earth and the study’s senior author, told Paste BN. He said such widespread lead exposure threatens children's health and their likelihood of having "a good education.”
“That’s bad for everybody,” he said.
What parents can do
Hays, the Ohio toxicologist, said parents should talk with their child’s doctor about lead screening and testing.
Parents can stay up to date on common sources of lead exposure as they become identified. They may include spices, candies and other foods. It’s best to avoid foods purchased abroad from unregulated sources, Hays said.
But the WanaBana applesauce cases show that foods typically regulated domestically can also be tainted. That reinforces the need for communities to stay up to date on health announcements about outbreaks, Hays said. Parents can also get their home and water exposure checked by a licensed lead inspector.
Anyone with questions about lead poisoning, or concerns about a child being exposed to lead can contact the federally funded Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.