[jambutty]

Originally Posted by steeljack

re. this toy recall for lead painted toys .........I'm more concerned about the affects of Plastics , considering they have only been around for a couple of generations, not really long enough for long term studies on exposure.
How many people can say they know someone personally that has been harmed by lead , seems to me at one time every house in the country had lead water pipes , and I'm sure 90% of males aged over 40 played with lead toy soldiers/cowboys/indians etc. and even inhaled the fumes when melting them down on the gas stove , every plumber in the country whoever soldered a pipe should be sick or simple by now from lead exposure. Have studies been done to find out if we are all walking timebombs ,(apart from the remains of a few dead Romans who ate off lead plates )? seems to me this is a complete over reaction just to sell newspapers

There is no doubt that imbibing lead can harm an individual and in particular children. But it has to be long term for the effect to be anywhere near serious. Stop taking in lead and the body expels the lead and other heavy metals in the normal fashion and recovers unless severe damage has already been caused

Lead Poisoning

Also called: Plumbism

Lead is a metal that occurs naturally in the earth's crust. People have spread it through the environment in many ways. Lead used to be in paint and gasoline. Lead can still be found in contaminated soil, household dust, drinking water, lead-glazed pottery and some metal jewelry.

Breathing air, drinking water, eating food or swallowing or touching dirt that contains lead can cause many health problems. In adults, lead can increase blood pressure and cause infertility, nerve disorders and muscle and joint pain. It can also make you irritable and affect your ability to concentrate and remember.

Lead is especially dangerous for children. A child who swallows large amounts of lead may develop anemia, severe stomachache, muscle weakness and brain damage. Even low levels of lead are linked to lower IQ scores.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

From http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/leadpoisoning.html
There is further information at http://www.doh.wa.gov/topics/lead.htm

I know of a few people whose illness and eventual death was attributed to lead poisoning. None more so than the guy who got a lead bullet in his head.

Health authorities and government scientists have inevitably littered their warnings with cans, mights and maybes, even more so these days. It is very rare to read a health warning that is absolutely positive. Even today many of the warnings on cigarette packets include the word ‘may’.