Lead Levels Linked to Lower IQ in Children

June 2 -- The harmful effects of lead poisoning on children are well-documented, but new research suggests that the danger is more widespread than ever imagined, and that exposure to levels currently deemed safe can lower children's IQ scores.

At age 2, Salissa Stallworth was already showing the effects of lead poisoning. In a lab study conducted at the University of Cincinnati college of medicine in 1995, the toddler was unable to respond to basic instructions that other girls her age were able to follow.

Experts say that Salissa was not born with developmental problems, nor were her problems genetic or the product of disease. Instead, she was poisoned right in her own home by lead. Eight years later, doctors say she is still suffering the effects of lead poisoning.

‘Safe’ Levels Now Deemed Dangerous

"She has ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), she has behavioral problems, she has emotional problems, she has phobias," Latecia Stallworth, Salissa's mother said. "They told me that there could be long-term side effects to her having lead poisoning, and so far it has been true."

Lead-based paint chips and lead-contaminated dust found in deteriorating buildings are the culprits in lead poisoning for most American children. Lead-based paints have been banned from use in housing since 1978, but about 24 million housing units still have deteriorated lead paint, and elevated levels of lead-contaminated house dust, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The CDC estimates that 1 million children in the United States suffer from dangerous levels of lead in their system. But new research indicates that the amount of lead that can lead to developmental problems is far lower than CDC-imposed legal "safe" limits. That means the number of affected children might jump dramatically from 1 million to 15 million children.

As a result, several U.S. senators are asking the CDC to lower their scale of what is a dangerous level of lead in kids' blood.