Bradley and the Bad Pb (Lead)

KMAC stands for: Kids Making A Connection, Health & the Environment; KMAC activities were originally supported by an NIEHS grant in K-12 environmental health science education, "Toxrap" Network. You can learn more about NIEHS educational grant programs at the NIEHS K-12 Teacher Enhancement and Development, Environmental Health Sciences K-12 Education Grants materials, and the NIEHS K-12 Initiatives websites.

Bradley and the Bad Pb

Inspired and Illustrated by the Hooker Oak School KMAC Kids

Bradley is a cute little boy with blond hair and brown eyes and a smilethat turns up at the corners. He lives in a gray house with a white picket fence.He likes to chase the chickens and ride the giant brown dog that lives in the backyard.

Bradley likes to give big bear hugs to his sister Melanee and his brother William and little bear hugs to his baby brother Andrew. Most every morning when his mom Diane is working at school, he rides to work with his dad, Scott. He likes his seat in the big black pickup truck. Bradley likes to run around the shop and play with the tools.

When Bradley turned two, he went to the pediatrician for a checkup. Dr. Jim took some blood out of his arm.A few days later the doctor called Bradley's mom and told her that the lab had found some lead (Pb) in Bradley's blood. Lead is dangerous if it gets inside of you, especially if you are little or if you are still inside your mom!

Bradley's dad and mom were worried! Melanee and William were worried, too! William told his class about Bradley. How did he get lead (Pb) in his blood, they all wanted to know?

Nevin said, "Maybe Bradley put paint chips in his mouth or breathed in the dust when you sanded the house last summer?"

"Or maybe he played with the weights from your Pine Wood Derby racer," roared David and Blade.

"Do you take him fishing? Does he play with the sinkers?" quizzed Mackenzie and Lauren and Jake.

"Sometimes lead is in pottery or dishes," reminded Alia and Andrew.

"What about the pipes in your house?" called Gabby and Shay. Old houses can sometimes have lead water pipes or pipes soldered together with lead.

"Lead can be in insecticides!" declared Cierra and Baily. "Do you spray for bugs at your house?"

"Does your mom give him home remedies like Azarcon, Greta or Paylooa?" uttered Bobbie and Sherena.

"Do you have vinyl blinds on the windows or peeling paint on the sills?" Delaney and Mariah inquired.

"What about toys?" quizzed Emily and Emily. "Metal toys are sometimes made from lead. Even some pedal cars have paint made with lead. Much too dangerous for kids!"

"Does your family use water from the hot water tap to make formula or mix in his cereal?" The kids wanted to know.

"What about your dad's work clothes and the air in the shop? Could that be a problem for Bradley?" they all wondered. "AND YOUR DAD AND YOUR Whole FAMILY, TOO?" whispered Leslie.

William and the kids in his class made a list of the lead hazards they knew. They are hopeful it will help Bradley and other kids, too.

Some Sources of Lead

Old paint on homes (pre-1980)
Lead dust in the carpet (pre-1980 homes)
Lead between 1980-1986 (lead solder in joints)
Old bathtubs (metal)
Marine paint
Yellow stripes in roads
Industrial Metals
Lead putty in windows
Brass candle sticks
Old knife sharpeners
Vinyl roll-up venetian blinds
Bullets
Fishing sinkers
Pool cue chalk
Simulated pearls (coating has lead)
Some Cosmetics
Canned foods (imported): weld contains lead
Hobbies: artist paint, photography chemicals, stained glass, enamel, bronze or brass plating
Colored newspaper print (comics)
Hair dyes
Home remedies (Azarcon: Coral, Rueda, Maria Luisa), Greta, Albayalde, Pay-loo-ah, Xyuuaj Fab, Tsuaj gais nyiaj, Ghassard, Bala Goli, Kandu, Kohl (Alkohl)
Metal toys or toys with metal paint (wash toys and pacifiers frequently)
Dishes (imported, handmade, bright colored pottery)
Clothes (if a parent works around lead, he/she can bring lead home on clothing)
Costume jewelry (many brands) especially those made outside the U.S.
Candles with a metallic core
Some insecticides

Ways to Help Protect Against Lead Exposures

Always wash your hands before you eat.
Take off your shoes at the door.
Eat a nutritious diet that includes calcium and iron.
If a parent works with lead, never wear contaminated clothing into the house or wash them with the family laundry.
Never plant a garden in an area that may have lead from paint chips or other lead hazards.
If you have questions, contact your local Health Department!

Some Symptoms of Lead Poisoning

In children:
Headaches
Inability to sleep
Muscle aches
Irritability or hyperactivity
Nausea
Constipation
Weight Loss

In adults:
Headaches
Fatigue, feeling weak
Clumsiness
Shaking hands
Dizziness
Difficulty concentrating
Felling depressed
Memory loss
Difficulty sleeping
Irritability
Nervousness
Muscle or joint aches
Metallic taste in mouth
Loss of appetite
Stomach aches
Constipation
Nausea
Weight loss
Anemia
High blood pressure
Kidney damage
Infertility

Sometimes lead causes no symptoms! It moves from our blood and stores in our bones and tissue.

Bradley's lead levels have dropped by half. His physician is pleased, ad his family will continue to remove sources of exposures.

Special thanks to John Sweet, Helen Deatsch and Molly Sweet-Rhodes for helping us with our illustrations and to Bradley and his family for letting us tell his story. Additional thanks to Tom Barrett, Heath Associates, Diane Hoffman, Alice Kienzle, PHN and Aimee Myles, Health Educator, Butte County Department of Public Health and the California Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch, and to the physicians and scientist who answered our questions.

NIEHS Story Index

Other KMAC stories featured by NIEHS:
Crabby Kathy
What Could It Be, Beverly?
Mama Didn't Know
Water, the Never-Ending Story

The NIEHS Kids' Pages are prepared by the NIEHS Office of Communications and Public Liaison, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Disclaimers , including Children and Parents' Privacy Act Notice
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Links Disclaimer and Caution

When you encounter this imageor the words "Non-NIEHS Link", it means that by following that link you will be leaving the NIEHS website. NIEHS is NOT responsible for non-NIEHS websites. Sites maintained by outside organizations may be changed without notice to NIEHS. Therefore, unless the link is to another U.S. government sponsored webpage, endorsement by NIEHS is not implied, and NIEHS does not guarantee their continuing safe content or privacy policies. So please ask your parent or guardian before continuing to any non-NIEHS website, and especially before providing any information via the internet or by e-mail. When last reviewed, the websites linked from the NIEHS Kids' Pages seemed suitable for you to visit, but that may have changed; if you have any difficulties or concerns with any linked materials, please let us know.