Take precautions to have a lead-free Mardi Gras
While krewes parade and colorful beads fly, parents should take precautions to ensure their children don't ingest lead during festivities.
The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals states beads and throws during Mardi Gras parades may contain lead — and so might soil along parade routes. Ingesting lead is not safe at any level and can cause permanent damage, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
It's not just Mardi Gras beads and other plastic toys that may contain lead — fact is lead is a natural element found in most any place from our water to dirt, furniture, jewelry, and in paints, plastics and other synthetic products used in the home or workplace.
Mark Ryan, director of the Louisiana Poison Control Center, said it's important for parents to take precautions — but also to keep the situation in perspective. Ryan said the center had 480 recorded cases of people exposed to lead in the past decade. An estimated 45 percent of those cases involved children six years old or younger.
"There are a lot of different sources that are possible," said Ryan. "We've seen kids who will eat fishing or shower curtain weights that might have lead."
Elevated blood lead levels are defined as greater than or equal to 10 ug/dL (micrograms per decileter), according to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. Louisiana DHH spokesperson Samantha Faulkner said testing is required for all children between six and 72 months. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seven children were tested in Caddo Parish 2014, and two children tested positive for lead poisoning— 28 percent.
But according to DHH data, Caddo Parish tested 2,393 children for elevated blood lead levels— 11.9 percent of the population of children 6 and under— of which 42, or 1.8 percent, showed elevated BLLs, according to DHH data.
Bossier Parish tested 2,208 children, also 11.9 percent of children aged six or younger, of which 17— or 0.8 percent —showed elevated BLLs.
"The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) does note in its provided data that state data and analysis may vary from CDC data due to strict CDC guidelines and criteria," Faulkner wrote in an email. "Our program office is working with the CDC to ensure more accurate data in the future."
Water is another potential source for lead ingestion, especially in homes built before 1978 that might contain lead fixtures, Ryan said. Lead-based paint that chips or flakes off into dust is another problem in older homes.
Inell Merryweather, who lives in the Highland area of Shreveport, said her home was built in 1929. She didn't know whether there was lead in the paint or the piping, but she said she doesn't drink the water. She and her family drink bottled water instead.
"The water smells bad," Merryweather said. "Sometimes when we turn the water on, it's brown."
Several residents in Highland said they had no trouble with their water or lead in their homes. But others said their water carried a foul odor and they had seen odd clauses in their leases telling them not to "eat or lick" the walls.
"I remember that was the weirdest thing," one resident said. "That house was horrible. I boiled the water or drank filtered water."
Dexter Freeman, an independent painter who lives in Highland, said he used to live in an apartment on Olive Street with lead-based paint. The owner stripped the paint after lead-based paint was banned in 1978, Freeman said — a change Freeman has seen in many of the area's homes.
"I've stripped down houses, the paint was redone," Freeman said. "I know you're not supposed to rent homes with lead, especially to families with kids, but who knows if that's followed around here."
Children with lead poisoning rarely show symptoms, Ryan said.
"For a child with a developing neurological system, no lead is a good thing," Ryan said. "The symptoms are very non-specific. They're subtle and over a long period."
Ryan said some of those long-term symptoms could include sporadic nausea, diarrhea or vomiting. Changes in behavior, such as a child having mood swings or suddenly acting out, could also signal lead poisoning as an underlying cause.
"It's difficult to tell the difference between a child who's acting a little sick and one who may have lead poisoning," Ryan said. "Screening is very important."
Steve Bienvenu, associate professor of pediatrics at LSU Health Shreveport, said the clinic sees cases of lead poisoning on a weekly basis. He said a process called chelation is used to remove lead from a child who has been exposed to significant amounts. Bienvenu added chelation is only used in extreme cases due to potential side effects and the fact that the lead has already done the damage. The best course of action is to find where the lead came from and prevent a child from having further access to that source, Bienvenu said.
"Problem is that these folks are pretty much have to help themselves after we give them a handout. Years ago when money was better, the state would go out to the house and help with the discovery," Bienvenu said. "Prevention is pretty much all we have."
Faulkner confirmed that in previous years, DHH would go out to homes to test for lead but said the state now only inspects homes when elevated levels of lead have been found in a child's blood.
Testing kits for lead can be purchased at local hardware stores, such as Home Depot, Lowe's or Caddo Paint in Bossier City for as little as $10 a pack.
"It never hurts to test," said Derek Lane, general manager at Caddo Paint.
To raise awareness about the dangers of lead, especially to developing children, the DHH hosts an annual Lead Poisoning Prevention week as part of the Office of Public Health’s Healthy Homes and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. Precautions parents can take include keeping their children from playing in bare soil, having children avoid areas near flaking paint chips in the home and running water for several minutes before drinking if the home was built before 1978 or contains lead fixtures.
"We plan to continue these efforts and continue to increase the percentages of children that are tested," Faulkner said.
Take Precautions during Mardi Gras (from DHH website)
■ While attending parades or other activities, use hand wipes.Wipe children’s hands before they eat and after picking up beads on the ground.
■ Wash and rinse any beads picked up from the streets or along parade routes before allowing children to play with them.
■ At home,promptly change any clothing that may have been exposed to dirt along the parade route
Louisiana Poison Control Center: 318-813-3314
Nationwide Poison Control Line: 1-800-222-1222