(NaturalPath) According to a new study out of the American Chemical Society and published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, a nine-year study evaluated 367,000 children in Detroit and found that a mysterious seasonal fluctuation in blood lead levels – observed in urban areas throughout the United States and elsewhere in the northern hemisphere – results from re-suspended dust contaminated with lead.
While overall average blood lead levels in the U.S. and globally have declined following the elimination of lead from gasoline, paint, water pipes and solder used to seal canned goods, it sometimes weirdly fluctuates. Those levels can spike, often by more than 10 percent, in July, August and September, then they decrease during the winter and spring. The dust in the air seems to be the culprit.
“Out findings suggest that the federal government’s continued emphasis on lead-based paint may be out-of-step (logically) with the evidence presented and an improvement in child health is likely achievable by focusing on the resuspension of soil lead as a source of exposure,” the report states. “Given that current education has been found to be ineffective in reducing children’s exposure to Pb [lead], we recommend that attention be focused on primary prevention of lead-contaminated soils.”
For more information, read the full study.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225102557.htm
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es303854c
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.
