Not long ago, the results of a 3-year monitoring study conducted by the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Children’s Health showed that 10% to 20% of urban children in China have excessive blood lead levels and are in a state of lead poisoning. The prevalence of lead poisoning among children in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang and other big cities is above 20%, and the blood lead level of children in some industrial pollution areas exceeds the standard by 50%. Lead is like a devil that harms children, and it is necessary for people to pay attention to lead poisoning. Children are at high risk of lead poisoning because lead is heavier than air and is usually concentrated in the air closer to the ground, so the lead content in the air that children inhale is several times higher than that of adults in the same area. The ability of children to excrete lead is only 60% of that of adults, but the absorption rate of lead in the child’s whistle is about 2 times higher than that of adults, and only 8% of the lead ingested by adults from the digestive tract is absorbed into the blood, while 50% of the lead in children can be absorbed. 1.What are the hazards of lead poisoning? (1) It affects the development level of children’s intelligence. Lead has a great impact on children’s health and intellectual development. Unfortunately, only a few parents and pediatricians are aware of this. If your child suddenly has the condition of studying hard but always getting bad grades; looking around in class and making small movements; slow reaction and poor comprehension; big temper, moving around and smashing things. You should beware of such problematic children, maybe not all of them are born stupid or too playful, they are just influenced by “lead”. (2) It affects the physical development of children. If lead is present in the body in large amounts, it will replace the beneficial elements such as calcium, iron and magnesium in the body, and lead will affect the metabolism of calcium and vitamin D. Therefore, children will be deficient in calcium, iron and zinc. Moreover, when the lead level is not reduced, no amount of supplementation of these elements can be made up. Therefore, some children have xenophagia, such as love to eat dirt, tummy aches, etc.; others have kidney damage and rickets, and their immunity will be greatly reduced. 2.Who is releasing “lead poisoning” It is understood that lead is a light gray metal which is commonly found in nature. The increasingly serious phenomenon of lead poisoning in children is not unrelated to the deteriorating lead pollution environment. One of the main aspects of lead pollution is automobile exhaust. Many people are worrying that the frequent occurrence of urban traffic congestion will not cause lead damage to children? Experts say, “That’s for sure!” Secondly, lead paint is also the main cause of lead in children’s bodies at present, and children living in lead-polluted housing have significantly higher blood lead levels than those living in housing without lead pollution. At present, 60% of the surface paint in domestic children’s toys and colored pens contain soluble lead that exceeds the international maximum allowable amount. In addition, dietary lead pollution should not be ignored, such as puffed food, French fries, puffed eggs and popcorn, which are actually high lead foods that children like. 3.How lead enters the human body There are 3 main ways for lead to enter the human body: digestive tract, inhalation tract and skin. The chance of lead poisoning in children is more than 30 times that of adults, because children’s whistle tract, digestive tract, kidneys, blood-brain barrier and other lead-proof functions are not yet mature, and their ability to excrete lead is limited. Moreover, children are at the stage of growth and development, and they have more hand and mouth movements, such as they like to bite things with their mouths, thus the intake of lead is larger than that of adults. In addition, 80% of the lead flows in the air layer below 1 meter from the ground, which is the range of children’s activities, so children are contaminated more than adults. About half of the lead entering the body is excreted within the half-life, another 25% is excreted later, and the remaining 25% remains in the body. Lead is excreted through the kidneys with urine, through bile secretion into the intestinal cavity and then with stool, and through hair, nails and teeth. Women’s menstruation can excrete a small amount of lead. Lead poisoning in women can affect two generations. Some of the cosmetics and hair dyes used by women contain lead. Lead poisoning caused by the use of lead lipstick, hair dye or other means before and during pregnancy can cause congenital lead poisoning in the fetus, and can even lead to fetal growth retardation, congenital malformation, stillbirth, and mental retardation after birth. The mother’s lead contamination will contaminate the child through the close contact with the child such as kissing and touching each other’s hair. 4.How to prevent lead poisoning Parents should pay special attention to their children if they have symptoms such as loss of appetite, weight loss, weakness, aching limbs, pale face, frequent dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, indigestion, insomnia, metallic taste in mouth, lead lines visible in gums, etc., and take them for examination and treatment in time. The prevention of lead poisoning should start from the following aspects. (1) We should establish awareness of lead prevention and develop good hygiene habits. Wash hands and laundry regularly. Cultivate children’s good habit of not biting foreign objects and not sucking fingers. (2) Less contact with lead environment to reduce the harm of lead pollution; children under 6 years old should stay in places with high exhaust gas content as little as possible; exhaust smoke in time for indoor heating; adults should use lead-free cosmetics and hair dyes as much as possible, and if they use cosmetics with lead, they should be put in places out of reach of children. If parents are engaged in work with lead, such as chemical factories, battery factories, etc., or traffic police, construction workers, cleaners, etc., who often work near the road, it is better to take a bath to wash off the lead dust on their bodies before going home to see their children. (3) Choose lead-proof living utensils and environment. Don’t use lead-containing eating utensils (such as colorful and patterned bowls, plates and cups), don’t stay in newly renovated houses for a long time, and don’t let children play with lead-containing toys and use lead-containing learning utensils. (4) Pay attention to healthy diet. Do not eat foods containing lead, such as puffed eggs, popcorn, etc. Don’t use colorful glazed tableware, and drink less cans because some cans are welded with lead-containing metal. Prevent the contamination of fruits by pesticides containing lead, and it is recommended to peel fruits. In addition, experts advocate dietary lead detoxification, because the protein, vitamin C and acid food in the diet can promote lead detoxification, some can reduce the toxicity of lead and turn it into non-toxic, and some can decompose and combine lead toxicity. These foods are: milk, yogurt, milk tea, tea, garlic, carrot, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, green beans, soy products, umeboshi, lemon, persimmon, grapes, banana, apple, and tulip, etc. (5) Regular medical check-ups, don’t forget to check blood lead. For children, it is the best to give them a lead-free environment, but from the current situation, we are afraid that it is difficult to do so. Therefore, it is better for parents to take their children for check-ups every six months or a year to see if there is too much lead in their bodies, so that they can have a good idea.