Friday, February 16, 2007

Testing For Lead Exposure

Lead

This test measures the current lead level in your blood. Lead is a soft metal present in the environment. When it is inhaled or ingested, lead can cause damage to the brain, organs, and nervous system. Even at low levels, it can cause irreversible damage without causing symptoms. In an infant, lead can cause permanent cognitive impairment, behavioral disorders, and developmental delays. Lead exposure can cause weakness, anemia, nausea, weight loss, fatigue, headaches, stomach pain, and kidney, nervous system, and reproductive dysfunction. Lead can be passed from mothers to their unborn children and can cause miscarriages and premature births.

In the past, lead was used in paints, gasoline, water pipes, and other household products such as the solder used in canned food. Although these uses have been limited in the U.S., lead is still used in many products and industrial processes both in the U.S. and around the world. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has stated Homes built prior to 1978 is likely to contain lead-based paint and lead-contaminated household dust, especially if the house was built prior to 1950. Soil surrounding these houses may also be contaminated with lead. Lead-based pigments are available in the U.S. in the form of artistic paints and glazes.

There is not yet a national guideline for blood lead screening in adults as there is for children. The clinical cut-off values for elevated blood lead currently vary from state to state. According to the CDC’s Adult Blood Lead Surveillance program (ABLES), a national health objective is to reduce all blood levels in adults to less than or equal to 25 micrograms per deciliter.

Lead testing may be done when symptoms suggest potential lead poisoning. These symptoms are non-specific and may include fatigue, changes in mood, nausea, prolonged stomach distress, headache, tremors, weight loss, peripheral neuropathy, anemia, reproductive failure, encephalopathy, memory loss, seizures, and coma. Many children have no symptoms at the time of the exposure, but potentially permanent damage can still be occurring. Testing for lead exposure should be considered in children presenting with growth failure, anemia, sleep problems, hearing loss, or speech, language or attention deficits.

The higher the test result, the more lead is in your blood. However, the amount of lead in the blood does not necessarily reflect the total amount of lead in your body. This is because lead travels from the lungs and intestinal tract to the blood and organs, and then is gradually removed from the blood and organs and stored in tissues such as bones and teeth. Blood lead concentrations represent recent exposure or chronic exposure. The danger that a particular lead level represents depends on the age and health of the person, the amount of lead they are exposed to, and the amount of time that they are exposed to elevated lead.

As with any test, abnormal results must be followed up with a Physician.

To purchase a lead test simply order online at LabSafe at http://www.labsafe.com/lab-tests/test/468/ or visit our website at www.labsafe.com

For more information, or to speak with a member of our professional Medical Staff, call LabSafe toll free at 1-888-333-LABS.