Happy New Year to all!!
I thought you might be interested in this article (see email below) about a
low-level chelation trial on children.
Yours Sincerely
Elizabeth O'Brien, Manager, Global Lead Advice & Support Service (GLASS) run
by The LEAD Group Inc.
PO Box 161 Summer Hill NSW 2130 Australia
Ph +61 2 9716 0132
www.lead.org.au


----- Original Message -----
From: <upal@...>
To: <leadnet@...>
Sent: Friday, January 04, 2008 8:50 AM
Subject: [Leadnet] Re: Wall Street Journal Article


This message was also sent by upal@... to: rscott@...

Happy 2008 everyone!  The battle continues . . . . .

Pursuing a Cure For an 'Orphan' Ailment --- A Doctor Struggles to Develop A
Drug for Lead Poisoning; Bypassed by Patient Advocates By Amy Dockser
Marcus2092 words18 December 2007The Wall Street JournalD1English(Copyright
(c)
2007, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)
For more than 20 years, Michael Shannon has used a drug called
d-penicillamine
to treat children with lead poisoning. The problem is that children often
won't take the drug because "it tastes and smells like rotten eggs," says
the
pediatrician at Children's Hospital Boston.
That's why he was thrilled when a company he collaborated with, Tedor Pharma
Inc., came up with a kid-friendly grape-flavored formula. He figured
pharmaceutical companies would be eager to license it and launch a trial to
obtain Food and Drug Administration approval, and parents would embrace it.
He
even expected the FDA to help out, and applied for a grant to help defray
the
costs of a trial.
Instead, "no one was interested," says Jacqueline Armstrong, project leader
in
the hospital's intellectual-property office, which guides development of
drug
discoveries.
Drug companies said the costs were too high to commercialize a drug for a
condition that affects relatively few children. Doctors were divided on the
use of drugs to treat the moderate levels of lead poisoning Dr. Shannon
targets; there was no proof that treatment could reverse cognitive damage.
And
Dr. Shannon says that the FDA, in its rejection of his grant request, said
it
wanted him to focus on higher levels of lead poisoning.
Most surprising was that no patient advocates took up the cause. Parents of
lead-poisoned children were leery of using drugs to treat lead poisoning --
a
process known as chelation that carries side effects of its own. In a
population that is disproportionately poor, urban and minority, many patient
advocates instead prefer to focus on cleaning up homes with high levels of
lead paint, the chief source of lead poisoning.
"I don't believe it is possible to reverse the damage from lead poisoning,
so
I don't want to take the risks of giving my son a medical intervention that
might cause other damage," says Zakia Shabazz, who founded a parent-advocacy
group, United Parents Against Lead National, in 1996 after her son, Zaki,
was
diagnosed with lead poisoning.
Patient-advocacy groups are increasingly powerful. They are raising huge
sums
of money for research, particularly for rare diseases that might otherwise
be
overlooked. Impassioned patients have recently funded their own trials,
hired
scientists and successfully lobbied government agencies. But as Dr. Shannon
discovered, some rare diseases are true orphans, unable to attract
drug-company, philanthropic or even patient-advocate interest.
Dr. Shannon's efforts might have remained stalled if not for a Boston-based
venture capitalist named Roger Kitterman. His suggestion for how to
jump-start
the project -- selling the idea to a group of investors willing to accept
smaller profits in order to fill a critical need -- brought in the vital
initial investment.
Dr. Shannon's push for a clinical trial came at a time that seemed
promising.
Massive recalls this year of millions of toys because of lead paint drew
attention to the serious health hazards posed by lead, which include brain
and
organ damage, learning disabilities and antisocial behavior. Though
lead-based
paint was banned in 1978, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
estimate that at least 24 million older housing units in the U.S. pose a
potential threat because of lead paint.
But lead poisoning -- how to treat it, prevent it, even define it -- is a
divisive issue. The CDC says a level of 10 micrograms or more of lead per
deciliter of blood in a child's body is cause for concern. But Dr. Shannon
and
other pediatricians argue that blood-lead concentrations below 10 mg/dl also
cause cognitive damage, and they have urged the CDC to lower the level even
further.
The latter view was supported in a recent study published in the New England
Journal of Medicine. In the study, researchers found that "there is no
evidence of any safe threshold for lead," said Richard L. Canfield of
Cornell
University, one of the investigators.
At the same time, there is little evidence that treating low blood levels of
lead poisoning makes a difference. The only FDA-approved drug for lead
poisoned children, called Chemet, has proved effective only in preventing
life-threatening complications such as seizures in children with very high
blood levels of lead, over 45 mg/dl. Some doctors will still treat levels
under 45, but at that point, the risks of chelating drugs -- which can cause
fevers, rashes, and drops in platelets and white blood cell counts -- are
seen
by many as outweighing the potential benefits. At lower levels of lead
poisoning, these doctors argue, it may be preferable to let levels fall
naturally over time.
To address lower-level poisoning, Dr. Shannon needed something else. Enter
d-penicillamine, a drug for rheumatoid arthritis and adults with a rare
genetic disorder. Dr. Shannon says years of off-label use of the drug in
thousands of children show that it significantly lowers patients' blood-lead
levels and keeps them down even after the drug was stopped. And while
d-penicillamine has potentially serious side effects at adult doses, at the
low doses given to the children, he says, there were milder reported events,
such as rashes and stomach upset.
Though there isn't enough research yet to show that cognitive damage from
lead
poisoning can be reversed, Dr. Shannon and some other doctors argue that
treatment can halt or reverse other serious damage done to organs. "Lead
affects every organ," he says. "The brain is the most important, but we also
have to think about the kidney, liver and bone marrow. The benefits there of
removing the lead are incontrovertible." So he and the hospital were eager
to
work with Tedor to develop a new, better-tasting formula for d-penicillamine
that could be FDA approved for kids and thus gain wider use.
In the months following the setbacks for the new version, Children's
Hospital
brought in business advisers to find a way to get the reformulated drug into
trial. Soon after, Mr. Kitterman, the Boston-based venture capitalist,
pitched
his idea: Eschew philanthropists and patient advocacy groups and focus on
finding investors who want to help the kids and are willing to accept a more
modest profit than they might typically expect. If costs stayed under $2
million, Mr. Kitterman calculated, the early investors could eventually make
at least two to three times what they put in.
With the hospital's OK, Mr. Kitterman formed Bezoloven -- the Bulgarian word
for "lead-free" -- a company with no office, no employees and very little
overhead. By fall 2006, he had raised $100,000 from a group of investors
called Boston Harbor Angels. While small, that initial funding enabled Dr.
Shannon to begin planning a full clinical trial.
The idea was to enroll 50 children over the course of three years,
randomized
into a group that would receive the drug and a group that would receive a
placebo, and see if it was effective in lowering lead levels.
If Bezoloven proves successful, the model could be used to support research
in
other rare diseases, says Donald P. Lombardi, CEO of the Institute for
Pediatric Innovation in Cambridge, Mass., which launched a consortium of
pediatric hospitals to identify and develop promising pediatric therapies.
He
says he knows of at least a dozen compounds that, like d-penicillamine,
could
be reformulated for FDA approval for pediatric use with investments of $2
million to $8 million. "This is the proof of a very important principle,"
Mr.
Lombardi says.
For now, the debate over when to use drugs to treat lead poisoning remains
unresolved. Treatment with chelating drugs is widely understood to be
necessary in cases where high levels of lead threaten the child's life. But
in
a seminal 2002 study of 741 toddlers with moderate lead poisoning (under 45
mg/dl), Chemet didn't significantly reduce lead levels. And after following
the children through ages 5 to 7, the study also found no difference in IQ
between children who had used Chemet, and those whose lead levels fell
naturally over time. Chelation, the study in the journal Pediatrics
concluded,
"is of no proven benefit" to children with moderate lead poisoning.
Walter Rogan, a medical epidemiologist at the National Institutes of Health
and an investigator on that study, says he doesn't believe d-penicillamine
will prove to be any more effective at lowering blood levels or improving
cognition. "There is no evidence that you can reverse the damage," Dr. Rogan
says. "It appears to be permanent."
The patient-advocacy community is similarly skeptical. In Richmond, Va., Ms.
Shabazz of United Parents Against Lead National says that lead levels in her
son, who is now 13, have fallen to below 3 mg/dl, but he still struggles in
school with short-term memory problems.
Ms. Shabazz's group works mainly with lower-income families "struggling to
make a living," she says. "Lead poisoning is invisible, so it's not at the
top
of the list of their priorities because the child is not broken or
bleeding."
Her group helps families remove lead hazards in their homes. The group is
setting up a lead safe house registry for two cities in Virginia that allows
residents to see which houses have passed muster.
Dr. Shannon, though, says he has anecdotal evidence to suggest that
cognitive
problems can improve. In his office at Children's Hospital Boston recently,
Dr. Shannon points to the table where he sits with parents after a child has
completed the d-penicillamine regimen. "They ask me the $1 million question:
'Has my child been irreversibly harmed?'" he says. Most children are 2 to 2
1/2 years old when treatment ends, too soon to tell, he says. Only after the
children start school do attention-deficit disorder, speech delays,
antisocial
behavior, learning disabilities and other damage associated with lead
poisoning emerge.
Among parents who have used d-penicillamine, no one questions the need for a
palatable recipe. Connie Orcutt of Brookline, Mass., says that getting her
7-year-old daughter to take the medicine was a constant battle. The little
girl, who was adopted from China, had a lead level of 58 mg/dl when she
arrived here. After hospitalization lowered her levels, Dr. Shannon
prescribed
d-penicillamine to try to get the lead down even further. "It is really
noxious smelling and it doesn't taste much better," says Dr. Orcutt, a
veterinarian.
She tried to mix it in food -- jam, chocolate sauce, pudding -- to mask the
smell. Every few days, her daughter would reject the latest concoction. "She
had to take it every morning and every night. She was always upset," says
Dr.
Orcutt. She notes that while her daughter did experience some rashes and
diarrhea, it was never clear if it was connected to the drug, and her
daughter's lead levels did improve.
Dr. Shannon's trial of the kid-friendly version will enroll only children
whose blood lead levels are between 15 and 25 mg/dl. If the experiment is
successful, a follow-up study could be conducted to see if the drug is
effective at treating even lower levels. Dr. Shannon estimates that up to
80%
of lead-poisoning cases fall in these low and moderate ranges. "If we show
that this drug works," he says, "it will address the majority of childhood
lead-poisoning cases in the country."
As progress on the trial moved forward, Mr. Kitterman, the financier, went
back to the Boston Harbor Angels in September to give them an update. He
reported that Dr. Shannon had applied again for an FDA grant. This time, the
application explained why he chose to study children with lower levels of
lead. And the $100,000 in seed money allowed him to lower his budget. Dr.
Shannon got his grant: $573,893 over three years to defray the costs of the
trial, which is set to begin in the spring. (An FDA spokeswoman says the
agency can't comment on specific cases.)
Mr. Kitterman added that he had also been in touch with a Paris-based
pharmaceutical company that was interested in selling the reformulated drug
in
Russia and China, where lead poisoning is an even larger problem than it is
in
the U.S. "The lead-poisoning problem," Mr. Kitterman concluded, "is not
going
away."
License this article from Dow Jones Reprint
Service[http://www.djreprints.com/link/DJRFactiva.html?FACTIVA=wjco2007121800
0048]


A CHILD IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE!
Zakia Rafiqa Shabazz, Director
UPAL National, Inc.
P.O. Box 24773, Richmond, VA  23224
804-308-1518 ~  www.upal.org

-- "Ralph Scott" <rscott@...> wrote:
A Jan. 2, 2008, article on Web MD describes a new study suggesting lead
exposure as a factor in the development of Alzheimer's:
www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20080102/lead-link-to-alzheimers-disease

The Journal of Neuroscience article abstract about this study is available
at:
www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/28/1/3

Ralph Scott
Acting Executive Director
Alliance for Healthy Homes
P.O. Box 75941
Washington, DC  20013
202-739-0881; rscott@...; www.afhh.org

Working for affordable healthy housing for all.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
A blank message to these addresses performs the following -
  Leadnet-on@... subscribes you to the list.
  Leadnet-off@... unsubscribes you from the list.
  Leadnet-switch@... toggles you to/from the fancy digest version.
  Leadnet-vacation@... toggles you to/from the vacation list.

  Post your message to the list by sending it to Leadnet@....

  To contact the list owner, send your message to
   Leadnet-list-owner@....





_____________________________________________________________
Click to begin your health care training online.  Request info today.
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2111/fc/Ioyw6iigiO4Nz5vicTmBTux9aVSFpznSm
9tIkgSul6csXqURSUXgrx/



To unsubscribe, click on the following web page.
http://cgi.mail-list.com/u?ln=leadnet&nm=egroup@lead.org.au

Hi,
I am looking for a recommendation for a really great neurologist in
Michigan...preferrably at Children's Hosp. of MI, or Hurley in Flint,
as they are closer to our home.  But if you know of a great one
otherwise...please share!
Thanks and Happy New Year,
Angie

Joanna,
I'm still learning about all of this, too.  The answers that I've
received from dr.s depend upon what kind of dr. they are.  The
traditional pediatrician will state that if the blood levels show
reduced or absent lead levels, then the lead must be gone.  No
further steps needed.
However, homeopathic/holistic drs. have said that the body treats
lead like calcium...thus, not able to differentiate between the two.
Therefore, the lead is absorbed by bones, tissue (including the
brain), etc.  Lead can nestle into the body, and if measures are
sought to remove the lead, like chelation, or if high amounts of
stress are experienced, the lead can leach out into the blood stream
again, causing more damage.
So, the route we're taking with my daughter is to give her lots of
pure calcium, eliminate as much "junk food" (additives, colors, high
fructose corn syrup, cooking oils other than olive and coconut,
yeast, dairy, sweets) as possible, heal the "gut" and start chelation
hopefully in January.  It's taken us over 6 months to prep her body
for this because if the "gut" is not healthy and you try to eliminate
the lead, it can go right back into the body when it hits the
intestines - which is where nutrients, vitamins, etc. are absorbed
into the body.
I hope this helps...like I said, I'm still learning and have much
more to learn, I know!  Good luck to you and those children.
Angie

Hello Angie,

I am not looking for legal or even medical advice, but I would like
to know if chelation can stop the continued damage caused to a
child's brain.

From what I have read, as long as a child's lead level continues to
remain above the threshold of 10, neurological damage continues.  I
also read on WebMD that there are 7 peer reviewed medical articles
and that they are trying to lower the threshold to 5.

If so, then what steps should a parent take to have the lead
removed?  We are presenting solutions to the court but none of our
team are lawyers, so we are simply looking for solutions.

I know the chelation will not undo the damage that has been done, or
from what I have read, lead causes permanent, neurological brain
damage, primarily retardation.  That would lead me to think that if
the lead stays in their system, the damage would continue.

We do not know what we are working with until the lead is gone... I
think.. <:o)  That is why I joined this group because you all appear
to be parents who are dealing with real life problems caused by lead.

If anyone can give me some info, I would greatly appreciate it.

Joanna



--- In LeadedKids@yahoogroups.com, jamieangiejacob@... wrote:
>
> Dear Joanna,
> Legally, I can't answer to what can be done.  However, in terms of
health,
> the boys need to be removed from the environment where the lead is
present.
> Their lead can not go down if they keep inhaling air tainted with
lead, drinking
> water traveling through lead pipes, or eating lead...some kids seek
items with
> lead to relieve their cravings.
>
> Our dr. also recommended that my daughter be put on a multivitamin
with iron
> to help get the lead out of her system (at least that which was not
already
> absorbed into her body).  From what I've learned, lead poisoning
has life long
> effects...cognitive delays, behavior problems, etc.
>
> Does anyone know if chelation can reverse any of the effects of
lead?
> Angie
>
>
> **************************************
> Check out AOL's list of 2007's
> hottest products.
>
> (http://money.aol.com/special/hot-products-2007?
NCID=aoltop00030000000001)
>

It is interesting that you bring up the report from Wisconsin.  The
two children I wrote about lived in Sheboygan WI until 2004, the
second worst city in the state for lead poisoning.

WI is under federal order by the Center for Disease Control and
Health and Human Services, with a plan for 2002-2010, to erradicate
the lead paint in homes.

Unfortunately, for those children who have been effected by lead
paint, there is not assistance once they have moved out of WI.  Texas
knows very little about lead paint because we knock buildings down
and rebuild them every few years.

We recently learned that Galveston, Texas has lead based paint in
homes where primarily poor people live.  Hopefully, this will bring
some awareness of the problems associated with lead to the other
cities in Texas but Texas is a huge state and communication is not
one of the better aspects of living in this state.

http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/resources.htm

This was a fairly good link on effects of lead clean up in the USA.

Joanna

--- In LeadedKids@yahoogroups.com, <egroup@...> wrote:
>
> Dear all,
>
> A caller advised me this morning about this excellent chapter on
lead and nutrition from the website of the Wisconsin Department of
Health and Family Services at
http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/lead/doc/Chap11Nutrition.pdf Interestingly,
I do not recall ever reading before that "Foods Rich In Zinc, Vitamin
E, Thiamin . . .Reduce the Toxic Effects of Lead". I mean, I've read
separately about both zinc and Vitamin E being recommended for lead
poisoned people but have not read about thiamin or the three
nutrients together being recommended. Have other people read this
before? Does anyone specifically follow this dietary advice and if
so, have you found it helps? Here's an extract from the chapter:
>
> Figure 11.1
>
> Foods that Reduce Lead Absorption are those rich in . . .
>
> Calcium: milk, cheese, yogurt, kale, collards, turnip greens,
canned salmon. sardines with
>
> bones
>
> Iron: lean meats and poultry, seafood, cereals and breads fortified
with iron, peanut butter,
>
> nuts, dried beans & peas, raisins, prunes, prune juice, greens such
as broccoli and spinach
>
> Vitamin C: tomatoes, oranges and grapefruits and juices, juices
fortified with vitamin C,
>
> strawberries, kiwi, green peppers, watermelon, cantaloupe, potatoes
>
> Offer more of these!
>
> Other nutrients can help the body to reduce the toxic effects of
lead that is absorbed.
>
> Zinc, thiamin, and vitamin E all play this role. Families may be
unfamiliar with foods
>
> that contain these nutrients.
>
> Figure 11.2
>
> Foods Rich In Zinc, Vitamin E, Thiamin . . .Reduce the Toxic
Effects of Lead
>
> Zinc Vitamin E Thiamin
>
> Lean red meats Vegetable oils Whole grain foods
>
> Eggs Wheat germ Organ meats
>
> Fish & seafood Nuts Lean pork
>
> Milk & cheese Legumes
>
> Offer more of these!
>
> [END OF EXTRACT]
>
> Yours Sincerely
> Elizabeth O'Brien,
> Manager, Global Lead Advice & Support Service (GLASS) run by The
LEAD Group Inc.
> PO Box 161 Summer Hill NSW 2130 Australia
> Ph +61 2 9716 0132 Freecall 1800 626086
> www.lead.org.au
>

I am new to this group and joined in hopes of learning more about
lead poisoning and what are the actual effects on a child.

There are two children that I advocate for in the courts.  The Child
Protective Services have removed three of the youngest boys and two
of these boys have had repeatedly increasing lead levels, although
the levels were not checked for many years.

The first lead level was 5 at 18 months, then level 10 at age 3.  No
levels taken until age 12 (and the child has not been in a lead based
paint environment since 2004) and the level is 14.

What should be done in a situation like this?

I am quite certain the lead poisoning has a lot to do with the
behavior problems these children experience in school and at home,
although not all the blame can be placed on the lead.

These children are out of control, behaviorally, they are now being
charged with felony breaking into a building. Any decent attorney
would be able to get rid of this charge because there is not a
building at this junkyard and no fence around it, AND it is across
the street from the playground.
  http://www.hope4kidz.org (pic on home page)

I do not know how accountable these children can, or should, be
held.  The boys are 12 & 13.  The 12 year old has the cognitive
functioning of the second half of first grade (so 6-7 year old), with
the IQ of 77.  This child has the most problems functioning in his
world.  He will fall apart at the smallest things and when he falls
apart, it is not uncommon for him to have to be taken to the ER in
order to bring him back to earth.

The child who has a lead level of 14, is not being treated for the
lead and until we get the lead out of his body, how will we know what
we are dealing with?

My fear is that this child is going to end up in a long-term psyche
hospital or jail for juveniles.  In Texas, jail for juveniles is
called the Texas Youth Commission (TYC) and sentencing a child to TYC
is worse than most adult prisons.  Our TYC has been under siege by
various commissions because of the abuse of kids in TYC.

Is a blood level of 14 something to be concerned about?
If so, what should be done?
Does lead levels from infancy to teens create such serious cognitive
and behavioral problems?

Thank you for any suggestions,

Joanna Wright
Hope4KidZ, Inc.
http://www.hope4kidz.org

Hi Deborah...
Let me see if I can answer your questions...

Laura is actually going to a DAN dr. here in MI.  He is almost 2 hours away, so it's a whole day excursion.  Even though she has only been diagnosed with institutional autism, he is still treating her.  We've tried the GFCF diet...no difference.  She is on a bunch of supplements, but now likes to spit them out rather than take them like she did before...little stinker!  The DAN dr. is working toward chelation, but I'm having a really hard time getting a urine sample on her...little tough on a girl.  But we're trying!
Laura was in the Early On program through our schools.  The therapy was minimal, and the special ed. teacher that came to our house did an OK job.  I'm a teacher myself, so I'm always very critical.  She is supposed to be going to the special ed. preschool now, but has been in intensive PT for the past 2.5 weeks...2 hours every day.  She (and I) just can't do both.
As for autism...I think I've read about every article out there.  I keep wavering back and forth.  I know there is a huge spectrum, but her neurologist is being very cautious before giving her the official dianosis.  Frankly, they don't know what to diagnose her with!  But she loves to be with other kids...especially her brothers; she used to bang her head on the floor when we first got her, but does that no longer;  reciprocates play, but doesn't imitate except for clapping or banging on the table. So, it's a mystery still, but we're trying every avenue we can.  And, yes, she mouths everything!
So, what has your experience been with chelation?  Has it helped your son?  I didn't realize that it could elevate again.  Is that just with chelation...when it leaks out of the bones, or can it do that on its own?  How do you know which chelation is safe?
Angie


**************************************
See what's new at http://www.aol.com

Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 10:09 AM

Subject: Scientists make gut-brain connection to autism

 

 

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/09/27/autism-study.html

 

Related

Internal Links

Autism rates higher among immigrant families

In Depth: Autism

Video

CBC-TV's Suhana Meharchand talks to Martha Herbert of the Harvard Medical School. (Runs: 4:51)

Play: Real Media »

Play: QuickTime »

Scientists make gut-brain connection to autism

Last Updated: Thursday, September 27, 2007 | 5:29 PM ET

CBC News

Compounds produced in the digestive system have been linked to autistic-type behaviour in laboratory settings, potentially demonstrating that what autistic children eat can alter their brain function, say scientists from the University of Western Ontario.

They announced their findings Thursday in Ottawa.

Scientists are learning that the brain and body can influence each other, says a Harvard researcher.
(CBC)

UWO researchers investigated the "gut-brain" connection after many parents of autistic children reported significant improvements in the behaviour of their autistic children when they modified their diet, eliminating dairy and wheat products, Dr. Derrick MacFabe, the director of a research group at UWO in London, Ont., told CBC News Thursday.

Researchers were particularly interested in one dietary characteristic the autistic children seemed to exhibit, he said.

"Certainly, a lot of these children had peculiar cravings for high-carbohydrate foods that caused their behaviours," he said.

"We were interested in finding a link between certain compounds that are produced by bacteria in the digestive system — particularly those occurring with early childhood infections."

 

The bacteria produce propionic acid, a short chain fatty acid, which in addition to existing in the gut, is commonly found in bread and dairy products, MacFabe said.

To test their hypothesis that diet plays a part in generating autistic behaviour, UWO scientists administered the compound to rats' brains.

"They immediately engaged in bouts of repetitive behaviour, hyperactivity and impaired social behaviours which had close similarity to what parents are seeing with autism," MacFabe said.

When the rats' brains were examined later, they were found to have inflammatory processes similar to those in the brains of autistic children, he said.

"We found, looking at the rats' brains under the microscope, changes that looked a lot like what's occurred from autopsy cases of patients who had autism."

It's remarkable that a simple compound like propionic acid would have such a dramatic effect on "normal" animals, he said.

MacFabe said his research team, and scientists at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., and Harvard University, are now conducting screening studies looking at effects of dietary changes in the general population.

New way of approaching autism

Dr. Martha Herbert, assistant professor in neurology at Harvard Medical School, told CBC News that the study opens up a new way of thinking about the disorder.

"Now we're learning that the brain and body can influence each other," she said.

Autistic children are increasingly being seen as "oversensitized," meaning "things may bother them that don't bother other people," she said. "We need to pay attention to this."

Treating a child's health should be the first step in addressing autism, Herbert said, rather than solely focusing on behavioural therapy, currently a mainline approach.

"Behaviour therapy is certainly important. But the child's health controls the bandwidth that the child has for being able to benefit from behavioural therapy. If a child is sick, they won't be able to focus."

Parents should watch their children closely to determine what foods trigger reactions and to consider removing those triggers, she said.

Herbert strongly advocates a balanced diet, consisting of all food groups, not just "bread and cheese."

"If you have foods that child is sensitive to in their immune system, that can set up processes that can impact brain function, and it can do so in a negative way. And if you remove those foods, that negative impact can stop."

  

---

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.13.33/1034 - Release Date: 9/27/2007 5:00 PM

 

The message is ready to be sent with the following file or link attachments:
Shortcut to: http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic1798.htm

Note: To protect against computer viruses, e-mail programs may prevent sending or receiving certain types of file attachments.  Check your e-mail security settings to determine how attachments are handled.

Hello Angie,

You said your daughters (Lead Levels) is  "3" ? At the number of 3 she
is not in any danger at this moment.

I have a question, Does your little girl put everything in her mouth
that she comes in contact with. ( Mouthing Objects?) Chewing on
furniture's, toys, eating non eatable items? If so she most likely has
Pica.

Being that China has a huge amount of Lead products, and it is used very
commonly by many who refuse to heed the warning, I too would be
extremely worried. The US doctors do not consider Chelation of Lead, for
numbers of 19 or 20, even though they should! Unfortunately US doctors
wait until Lead Level numbers get  as high as "40"  before doing
Chelation, I am quoting what regular MD  practice. However if you find a
DAN doctor they will be  more understanding of your concerns, and will
guide you in the right direction, providing the DAN doctor is a "good
one", be very "careful" choosing a DAN doctor. Some of the Chelation
Treatments are Dangerous !  Protocol for acceptable Lead Levels are
single digits. When numbers get above single digits, then be concerned.

Since your daughter has had a History of Lead Levels of 19.6,
unfortunately there is a "huge possibility" the numbers will rise again.
I live in Indiana, and it is sad that my child had to "wait until"  his
Lead Levels numbers were ("40" )  before doctors would  give chelation
treatment, and then the doctors only chelated for "Lead metals" and
nothing else....which was done "orally", over a period of "only" 4
weeks. I threw a fit, but got no where.  A 4 week treatment will only
lower the levels. If the Lead has deposited into the bones,  Lead can
leach out of the bones, and into the blood stream, causing high levels
again..

What type of behaviors are you seeing from your daughter? Does have
hyper behavior ? What symptoms are doctors looking at to think she is
retarded and not have Autism? If your daughter is non verbal at age 3,
there is a huge possibility she is Autistic.....Autism has been over
looked many times, and doctor's  label the child as retarded, when in
fact they aren't.

Do you have your daughter in an early intervention program? At age 3 she
is too old for First Steps, but is old enough for Preschool. I noticed
you said she gets PT / OT.....that's wonderful. Why is she getting PT,
does she have Physical disabilities ?  OT is great, so glad she is
getting this wonderul therapy!

{Please tell me more about your daughters Behaviors.}  I am an Autism
Support group leader, and a member of the Autism Society of America. I
all so  have completed Autism 101 course.

My little boy just had a blood work up done to check his Lead Levels,
and I should know results by Thursday. He has Pica....and Pica is so
hard to monitor, everything goes straight to his mouth that he comes in
contact with...he even licks the floor looking for the sweet taste of
Lead. Once a child get a taste of Lead, they crave it, and look for that
"high" they get from it.

My little guy has ASD / Pica.

Deborah Bock - ASA / ASI
--- In LeadedKids@yahoogroups.com, "jamie_angela" <jamieangiejacob@...>
wrote:
>
> Hello,
> I have a daughter that is 3 years old. We adopted her from China at 11
> months. After having her in our arms for one month, she had her first
> pediatric appt...a blood draw...and found she had a lead level of 19.6
-
> no chelation necessary, they said, because her level was not 20.
> So...being naive about the whole thing, I never thought twice. Until
> we began noticing that she wasn't developing. We now have a 3 year old
> that does not walk, talk, or communicate except for whining. (She has
> had non-stop PT, OT and Speech therapies). Dr.s have negated any of
> the "typical" syndromes like autism, Rhett, etc. However, there is
> one dr. that is looking at chelation. Her lead level is 3, but I have
> no doubt that it is in her body, and who knows how high her level was
> in China before we got her. My feeling is right now that she has
> suffered mental retardation because of the lead, and that can't be
> reversed. But...
> Is chelation worthwhile? Any positive results out there?
> Thank you for your thoughts,
> Angie, Michigan
>

Hello,
I have a daughter that is 3 years old.  We adopted her from China at 11
months.  After having her in our arms for one month, she had her first
pediatric appt...a blood draw...and found she had a lead level of 19.6 -
  no chelation necessary, they said, because her level was not 20.
So...being naive about the whole thing, I never thought twice.  Until
we began noticing that she wasn't developing.  We now have a 3 year old
that does not walk, talk, or communicate except for whining.  (She has
had non-stop PT, OT and Speech therapies).  Dr.s have negated any of
the "typical" syndromes like autism, Rhett, etc.   However, there is
one dr. that is looking at chelation.  Her lead level is 3, but I have
no doubt that it is in her body, and who knows how high her level was
in China before we got her.  My feeling is right now that she has
suffered mental retardation because of the lead, and that can't be
reversed.  But...
Is chelation worthwhile?  Any positive results out there?
Thank you for your thoughts,
Angie, Michigan

How many candles do you have in your home? Could they cause lead poisoning? http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/blpnet/article.html?article_id=30645

The Price of Progress How Chemical Exposure is Killing Us Tom McGuire, DDS Dental Wellness Institute http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/blpnet/article.html?article_id=38955

There are no safe lead levels in children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Since 1991 the agency has specified that levels higher than 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood are dangerous. Now the CDC has updated its guidelines in the wake of a new study that found that babies and young children with levels lower than 7.5 had below-average IQs. http://www.parents.com/parents/story.jsp?storyid=/templatedata/parents/story/data/lead_danger.xml

Research has found that children with levels higher than 2 mcg/dL are four times more likely to have ADHD, and experts believe that lead interferes with the body's production of the neurotransmitters in the brain that are essential for impulse control. "Kids who are already genetically predisposed to ADHD are at the greatest risk," says Parents advisor Judith Owens, MD, director of the Learning, Attention, and Behavior Clinic at Rhode Island Hospital, in Providence. "Lead probably acts as a trigger in these children." http://www.parents.com/parents/story.jsp?catref=cat1890038&page=3&storyid=/templatedata/parents/story/data/1186504265235.xml

Babies and toddlers are the most vulnerable because their brains are still developing and they absorb up to 50 percent of ingested lead (adults absorb only about 10 percent). Of course, they also spend lots of time crawling on the floor and putting their hands in their mouth, and because lead tastes sweet, leaded items can be irresistible.

Even unborn babies are at risk. A pregnant woman who has lead in her system is at increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, and preterm labor. But unless the exposure was recent, blood tests won't detect the toxin because lead eventually leaves the bloodstream and settles in bones. "If a woman with prior lead exposure doesn't get enough calcium in her diet, her body will pull the mineral from her bones to help her baby grow -- but lead comes with the calcium," says Michael Shannon, MD, chair of the AAP Committee on Environmental Health. Ask your obstetrician to give you the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lead risk-assessment questionnaire; if you're found to be at high risk, eating a diet high in calcium can help protect you and your baby. http://www.parents.com/parents/story.jsp?catref=cat1890038&page=2&storyid=/templatedata/parents/story/data/1186504265235.xml

More lead information at Parents.com http://www.parents.com//parents/search/results.jsp?searchType=content&searchString=lead

And another one - coming from the Chinese side
Elizabeth O'Brien

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ralph Scott" <rscott@...>
To: <leadnet@...>
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2007 2:09 AM
Subject: [Leadnet] "For Chinese children lead can be inescapable"


>From Scientific American.com today:
----------
August 03, 2007

For Chinese children lead can be inescapable
By Chris Buckley

BEIJING (Reuters) - Parents around the world may have been shocked this week
when 1.5 million Chinese-made Fisher-Price toys were recalled because of
excessive lead content, but for mums and dads in China lead poisoning is
just a fact of life.[snip]

But if Beijing was worried about Chinese children being affected, that was
not reflected in state-run media on Friday, which were silent about Mattel's
recall. [snip]

China has responded to rising consumer expectations by setting stricter
standards for lead in toys, most recently introducing new labeling rules.
But imposing those standards on the country's vast and fragmented toy sector
is difficult.

China makes 75 percent of the world's toys, according to the national
chamber of light industry, and many of the thousands of producers are small
and resistant to regulation.

They make cheap plastic, metal and wooden toys that -- if regular news
reports are a guide -- often have a lead content well above government-set
limits.

A 2005 report in a Beijing newspaper cited estimates that 60 percent of
Chinese-made toys used paint with lead above internationally accepted
limits.

The China Toy Association would not answer questions about the problem.
[snip]

Feng [Feng Guoqiang, a childhood development specialist at Peking
University's Health Science Centre] said that toys are not the biggest
threat. China has phased out leaded petrol, but house paint, old pipes and
buildings and belching factories are still big sources of lead.

A study of Chinese cities in 2004 found that 10.5 percent of children had
lead levels in their blood of at least 100 microgram's per liter -- a level
considered unhealthy by the World Health Organization. [snip]
----------
Full story, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/2zd75p
----------

Ralph Scott
Community Projects Director
Alliance for Healthy Homes
P.O. Box 75941
Washington, DC  20013
202-739-0881; rscott@...; www.afhh.org

Working for affordable healthy housing for all.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
A blank message to these addresses performs the following -
   Leadnet-on@... subscribes you to the list.
   Leadnet-off@... unsubscribes you from the list.
   Leadnet-switch@... toggles you to/from the fancy digest version.
   Leadnet-vacation@... toggles you to/from the vacation list.

   Post your message to the list by sending it to Leadnet@....

   To contact the list owner, send your message to
    Leadnet-list-owner@....

Here's another excellent article on this issue.
Elizabeth O'Brien

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Neltner" <neltner@...>
To: <leadnet@...>
Sent: Monday, August 06, 2007 12:38 PM
Subject: [Leadnet] Bid to Root Out Lead Trinkets Falters in U.S.


August 6, 2007

Bid to Root Out Lead Trinkets Falters in U.S.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/business/06toys.html?pagewanted=2
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/business/06toys.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hp
> &_r=1&hp



By ERIC LIPTON and LOUISE STORY



WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 - Despite a two-year effort to eliminate the threat of
poisonous lead in inexpensive children's jewelry, hundreds of thousands of
tainted items are still being sold across the United States, the federal
government has found.



Inspections by the Consumer Product Safety Commission of 85 pieces of
jewelry collected since last fall from retailers and importers determined
that 20 percent still posed a potential poisoning hazard.

Separate surveys by health officials or lead experts in Ohio, Massachusetts
and Maryland found even higher percentages.



The unannounced federal inspections also left no doubt about the primary
source of the threat: of the 17.9 million pieces of jewelry items pulled
from the market since the start of 2005, 95 percent were made in China.



Numerous hazardous products imported from China - including toxic
ingredients put into dog food, tainted toothpaste, faulty tires and toys
coated in lead paint - have been recalled. But the problem with the
children's jewelry, persisting after two years, reveals just how difficult
it may be to resolve such problems.



Federal officials said that they have made progress in curtailing the lead
threat in children's jewelry, but that they need more enforcement powers,
like the ability to impose fines or even criminal charges against repeat
offenders. Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the consumer safety commission,
said, "We want to get to a point of not having to do recall after recall,
and simply make the marketplace safe."



The hazardous jewelry has been brought onto the market by big-name companies
like Mattel, Juicy Couture and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment,
which included 746,621 lead-contaminated "bonus charms"

in a Shirley Temple movie package. But scores of small importers like Really
Useful Products, a company with six employees based in Darien, Ill., also
delivered children's jewelry to national retailers with dangerous levels of
lead.



Internal company and government documents released to The New York Times
last week by the federal consumer protection agency, in response to a
Freedom of Information Act request, detail the recent crackdown, offering an
inside look at how gaps in vigilance by importers in the United States
allowed these contaminated low-price products to hit the market.



The importers, in the commission's documents, often assert that their
contracts prohibit jewelry with elevated levels of lead. But by failing to
test a large enough sample of the delivered goods - not just at the start of
production, but regularly as new batches are produced - these companies
still ended up selling hazardous products, the documents show.



Jewelry is perhaps the most dangerous place for lead because children can
swallow an entire ring or pendant, causing acute poisoning, which can cause
respiratory failure, seizures and even death, whereas neurological damage
and learning deficiencies are often associated with exposure to lead paint.
Many children also tend to suck on jewelry or put it in their mouths,
allowing lead to be absorbed into their bloodstream.



From 2000 to 2005, about 20,000 children turned up in emergency rooms after
ingesting jewelry, according to a hospital surveillance program by the
agency, though it is not know how many of those cases involved lead. These
cheap products, made of lead because it is an inexpensive metal filler, also
easily fall apart, making it even easier for a child to swallow a small
part.



That is just what happened in 2003, when doctors in Oregon found a lead
medallion that had been purchased from vending machine in the stomach of a
young boy who had complained of abdominal cramps and diarrhea.



And last year, Jarnell Brown, a 4-year-old in Minneapolis, swallowed a
heart-shaped charm that had been given away by Reebok International as a
sales incentive on its children's footwear. Jarnell died after suffering
vomiting, seizures and respiratory arrest. During the autopsy, a charm
imprinted with the Reebok logo was removed from his stomach.



"It's just outrageous," said Lisa Smestad, a environmental health official
in Minneapolis who investigated the boy's death. "How can we be allowing
products that are targeted and marketed to children that have such a
potential to poison them?"



Children's advocates say that neither the federal government nor the private
sector has done enough to ensure that jewelry entering the market is not
contaminated with lead. Far broader federal tests are necessary, they say,
backed up by stiff penalties and even criminal charges if companies, seeking
to maximize profits by buying from the lowest-cost suppliers, continue to
import contaminated children's jewelry.



"If a company is gong to put their label on it, they need to be able to
guarantee these products are not going to cause harm to consumers,"

said Rachel Weintraub, director of product safety for the Consumer
Federation of America. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been
trying to crack down on lead jewelry since February 2005, when it announced
that any children's jewelry that had more than .06 percent lead by weight -
and that was accessible to a child who might suck on the item or simply
touch it - would be considered a hazard, and subject to recall.



After several high-profile recalls in 2006 as many products on the market
failed to meet this standard the commission last fall began to send a team
of investigators out to companies that import or sell children's jewelry.



Inspectors collected and tested samples - finding lead problems one out of
five times, confirming the similar recent surveys by health officials and
children's advocates in Massachusetts, Maryland and Ohio, which found lead
contamination in children's jewelry as often as 40 percent of the time.
Based on these tests, one federal official said it was fair to estimate that
the number of contaminated children's jewelry items on the market remains in
the hundreds of thousands.



This federal enforcement effort has been driving, in part, the recent surge
in recalls this year of lead jewelry. Indeed, jewelry made up three-quarters
of all lead-related recalls of children's products in the last three years.



On Jan. 11, for example, an inspector arrived unannounced at the
Cockeysville, Md., headquarters of A&A Global Industries, a supplier of
rub-on tattoos, stickers, rings, necklaces and other knick-knacks stored in
plastic eggs in vending machines nationwide at stores like Wal-Mart, Toys
"R" Us, Safeway and Kmart.



Since a 2004 recall of lead-tainted jewelry it had sold, A&A hired a new
independent testing company to monitor its imports, reduced the number of
jewelry styles in its stock and set its standard at .04 percent lead by
weight, lower than the commission's standard, company documents show.



Nonetheless, the spot check in March found that A&A's Groovy Grab bracelets
contained lead at a level more than 100 times above the limit, leading to an
April recall of 4 million bracelets sold over the previous 16 months,
featuring designs like smiley faces, flames and Chinese symbols.



Executives at A&A did not return calls seeking comment. But in statements to
the federal investigators, Brian S. Kovens, the executive vice president,
said that he rejected any vendors that failed its initial lead tests and
performed spot checks on certain pieces of jewelry before they were shipped.
But ensuring that the jewelry is consistently lead safe is generally left up
to the Chinese vendors.



Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, a division of the News
Corporation, offered a free DVD to people who returned silver-coated metal
charms that contained lead in the spring of 2006.



But many of the charms may still sit on children's dressers. Fifteen months
after Fox's recall of the 746,621 charms, only about 50,000 - or

6.7 percent - of the charms were sent back, according to a Fox spokesman..



"We wanted them all back, we did everything we could do to get them back,"
said Steven Feldstein, a Fox spokesman, adding that many of the charms were
probably thrown away.



The Fox charms were imported by Corporate Images of Newbury Park, Calif.,
and manufactured at a factory called ChengXing Hardware Ornament Factory in
DongGuang, China. Mr. Feldstein of Fox said he thought Fox had stopped
working with Corporate Images. But Corporate Images lists Fox as a client on
its Web site. Corporate Images, its site promises, offers "cost-saving
efforts that are truly remarkable."



Prodded by the Sierra Club, an environmental group that has focused on
combating lead hazards, the product safety commission is now considering a
formal ban on lead in children's jewelry, instead of simply setting an
enforcement standard.



Dozens of letters have been sent to the commission urging it to adopt this
ban immediately.



Among the 195 pages of comments submitted this year about the proposed ban,
only one speaks in firm opposition: a March 2007 letter from the government
of China.



Jewelry with lead is not a danger, Guo LiSheng, a deputy director general at
China's General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine, wrote in a March letter to the commission, as long as it is
covered by a protective coating.



The regulation, he argued, was unnecessary and would "increase the cost of
producing and inspection of the manufacturers of children's metal jewelry,
and bring unnecessary obstacles to trade."



------------------------------------------------------------------------
A blank message to these addresses performs the following -
   Leadnet-on@... subscribes you to the list.
   Leadnet-off@... unsubscribes you from the list.
   Leadnet-switch@... toggles you to/from the fancy digest version.
   Leadnet-vacation@... toggles you to/from the vacation list.

   Post your message to the list by sending it to Leadnet@....

   To contact the list owner, send your message to
    Leadnet-list-owner@....

Dear all,
Rick Nevin has done some phenomenal research into the long-term behavioural
outcomes in society when children are exposed to lead (mainly from leaded
gasoline and lead paint. Please find below his latest research results. What
can any of us do to bring this research to the attention of those people who
can so easily decide to stop the sale of leaded gasoline in the world and
leaded house paint and start helping families to clean up the residue from
historical use of leaded gasoline and paint?
RegardsYours Sincerely
Elizabeth O'Brien, Manager, Global Lead Advice & Support Service (GLASS) run
by The LEAD Group Inc.
PO Box 161 Summer Hill NSW 2130 Australia
Ph +61 2 9716 0132 Freecall 1800 626086
www.lead.org.au

----- Original Message -----
From: "Titus, Laura (NCHH)" <ltitus@...>
To: <leadnet@...>
Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2007 4:18 AM
Subject: [Leadnet] New Research Shows Early Childhood Exposure to Lead


New Research Shows Early Childhood Exposure to Lead
Can Result in Juvenile and Adult Criminal Behavior

Lead Exposure Explains International Property and Violent Crime Trends and
Differences in USA City Murder Rates

Columbia, MD - Are children exposed to lead at a young age more likely to
commit crimes as juveniles and adults? A new study says yes.

Rick Nevin, an independent economic consultant and National Center for
Healthy
Housing (NCHH) senior advisor, compared trends in childhood lead exposure to
crime rate trends over several decades in nine countries: USA, Britain,
Canada, France, Australia, Finland, Italy, West Germany and New Zealand. In
all countries, he found that the greater the exposure, the higher the crime
rate. Nevin's analysis of USA city murder rates also shows that murder is
especially associated with more severe childhood lead poisoning.

"The research shows a clear link between lead exposure and crime, not just
in
this country but eight others as well. Nevin's work demonstrates the need
for
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to finalize rules which will help
prevent childhood exposure to lead during the renovation, painting and
remodeling of older homes," said Rebecca Morley, NCHH Executive Director.

About 38 million U.S. homes still contain lead-based paint, which was banned
for residential use in 1978. Of those, about 4 million are renovated each
year, exposing many children to significant hazards when contractors fail to
follow lead-safe work practices. In the state of Maine, for example, 65
percent of the lead poisoning cases are the result of unsafe renovations of
older homes. The EPA rule that governs these practices has been delayed for
over a decade due, in part, to industry opposition. According to the most
recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
310,000
children in this country suffer from lead poisoning.

"Young children are being unnecessarily exposed to lead and, as a result,
they
later suffer behavioral problems and learning disabilities," said Morley.

Lead contaminates household dust ingested by children as they crawl and
engage
in normal hand-to-mouth activity. Ingested lead travels through the
bloodstream to the developing brain where elevated blood lead causes many
neurological effects that can impair IQ, learning and behavior later in
life,
numerous studies have shown. Use of lead in paint in the U.S. peaked in the
first half of the 20th century before the 1978 ban. Per capita use of lead
in
gasoline surged in the USA after World War II and rose at a slower rate in
nations with lower per capita gasoline use. A phased-in ban of lead in
gasoline in the USA began in the early 1980s.

A summary of key findings from the Nevin study are available on the NCHH
website at http://nchh.org/Nevin2007LeadandCrimeStudy.pdf.

Highlights of the study appear below:
* International Lead Exposure and Crime Trends: The level of lead found in
preschoolers in the nine studied countries tracks the property and violent
crime rate trends in those countries at the time these preschoolers became
juveniles and young adults. Childhood exposure to leaded gasoline rose from
the 1930s through 1970, and all of the nations studied had rising crime
rates,
as these children became juveniles and young adults. Childhood lead exposure
fell in the USA and Canada from the mid-1970s through the early-1980s, as
lead
exposure remained high in most other industrial nations. Crime rates fell in
the 1990s in the USA and Canada, but peaked later in other nations, tracking
lead exposure trends in each nation.

* Murder and Additive Exposure to gas lead and lead paint hazards. The
1980-1994 murder rates in the United States mainly reflect trends in large
cities. The Nevin study shows that trends in air lead from gasoline explain
why the largest USA cities had such high murder rates. In the 1960s, large
cities (over a million people) had more than two times the air lead of
mid-sized cities (250,000 to a million people). Mid-sized cites had air lead
levels that were 40% higher than small cities (100-250 thousand people).
Average 1985-1994 murder rates in large cities were 57% higher than mid-size
cities, and mid-size cities had murder rates 40% higher than small cities.
The
1980s phase-out of the USA gas lead left little air lead difference by city
size, and there was little city size variation in 2000-2004 murder rates.
Nevin also shows that city differences in circa-1970 childhood lead paint
poisoning in severely deteriorated housing, and the additive effects of
paint
lead and gas lead exposure, also explain much of the variation in 1980-1994
city murder rates. Paint lead contributes to both air and lead dust through
paint deterioration, paint scraping and sanding, demolition and other
activities that generate dust from lead paint.

* Shifts in arrest rates by age group in Britain: Gas lead use rose in
Britain
after World War II (around 1946), and males born during this time had higher
offending rates twelve to fourteen years later than their counterparts born
before this increase in lead use. In the mid-1980s, British gas lead use
fell
and males born during this time had lower offending rates twelve to fourteen
years later.

* Shifts in California arrest rates by age group: In the United States, gas
lead use increased 400% between 1945 and 1955. Twenty years later, the
California juvenile index crime arrest rate increased by almost 300 percent
from 1965 to 1975. In 1975, California's juvenile index crime arrest rate
was
twice the adult rate, but juvenile offending plunged in the 1990s, tracking
the 1975-1985 decline in USA lead exposure. California's juvenile index
crime
arrest rate has been lower than the adult arrest rate since 2000.

* Shifts in overall USA arrest rates by age group: In the USA, there was a
1956 interim peak in gas lead use, when lead paint hazards were severe in
deteriorated urban slum housing built around 1900 when the lead content of
paint was extremely high. Urban renewal programs demolished much of the
oldest
and most deteriorated slums in the 1960s, and gas lead was phased out in the
early 1980s. The property crime arrest rate for youths under age 15 fell 45%
from 1970-2003, as the arrest rate for adults over 24 rose 58%. The 45% drop
in the under-15 arrest rate compares 1970 juveniles born near the mid-1950s
peak in additive exposure to lead paint hazards and gas lead versus 2003
juveniles born after the early-1980s fall in gas lead. The 58% increase in
the
over-24 arrest rate compares 1970 adults mostly born before the 1950s rise
in
gas lead (and slum crowding associated with urbanization) versus their 2003
counterparts born before the 1980s decline in gas lead.

Three things you or your contractors can do to protect your family during
home
renovations:
1. Keep lead dust away from people.
2. Use the right tools.
3. Work safely and clean up lead dust.

To find a contractor trained to work safely with lead, call 1-800-424-LEAD.
1. Keep lead dust away from people.
* Keep children and pregnant women away from the work area.
* Seal off the work area by covering floors, vents, doors and windows with
heavy plastic.
* If possible, remove furniture from the room. Cover any remaining furniture
with heavy plastic.

* 2. Use the right tools.
* Use vacuum cleaners and power tools with HEPA filters.
* If you use a power sander or grinder, be sure it has a HEPA filter as well
as a hood to trap dust.
* Never power wash or sand blast painted surfaces.
* Never use tools that create dust, chips, high heat or fumes.
* Never use open flame torches or heat guns at temperatures above 1100°F.
* Never use paint strippers that contain methylene chloride.

* 3. Work safely and clean up lead dust.
* Fix water damage that can make paint peel.
* Wet down the paint before you sand or scrape to control lead dust.
* Use heavy plastic bags to remove dust and other trash.
* After the job, wash floors and other surfaces with soap and water and
rinse
with fresh water.
* Remember lead dust can be too small to see.
* Consider testing for lead dust after the job is done. Call 1-800-424-LEAD
for a list of lead service providers.
Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

###

NCHH is the only national non-profit organization dedicated to developing
and
promoting practical measures to protect children from residential
environmental hazards while preserving affordable housing. NCHH develops
scientifically valid and practical strategies to make homes safe from
hazards,
to alert low- income families about housing-related health risks, and to
help
them protect their children. NCHH also works with governmental and
non-governmental organizations to develop standards and programs and guide
their implementation through insurers, lenders, federal and state laws and
regulations, community organizations, and the courts.

To read the Washington Post article, please go to
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/07/AR20070707010
73.html.

Phillip M. Dodge
Marketing & Development Officer
National Center for Healthy Housing
10320 Little Patuxent Parkway, Suite 500
Columbia, MD  21044
Phone: (443) 539-4168
Fax: (443) 539-4150
www.centerforhealthyhousing.org

------------------------------------------------------------------------
A blank message to these addresses performs the following -
   Leadnet-on@... subscribes you to the list.
   Leadnet-off@... unsubscribes you from the list.
   Leadnet-switch@... toggles you to/from the fancy digest version.
   Leadnet-vacation@... toggles you to/from the vacation list.

   Post your message to the list by sending it to Leadnet@....

   To contact the list owner, send your message to
    Leadnet-list-owner@....

FYI
Elizabeth O'Brien, Australia

----- Original Message -----
From: "Lourdes Salvador" <salvadorlourdes@...>
To: <cehncommunity@...>
Sent: Monday, July 02, 2007 7:09 AM
Subject: [cehncommunity] Autism and 9-11: The Connection


       June 30, 2007 at 09:26:45

       Autism and 9-11: The Connection

       by Vin LoPresti     Page 1 of 1 page(s)

       http://www.opednews.com




What do California condors and autistic children have in common? Quite
possibly it's a need for chemical detoxification. As discussed frequently by
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vigorous environmental advocate, there's little
doubt
that mercury in the form of thimerosal (ethyl mercury) is "poisoning the
brains of children throughout the world." Kennedy rails against the Centers
for Disease Control (CDC) for being "criminally negligent" on this issue.
Mercury is a neurotoxin, and allowing it to seep into the forming synapses
of
infant and toddler brains is, or should be, an act of criminal proportions.

This is a fact somewhat separate from the debate about what really "causes
autism." Given the known biotoxic effects of heavy metals like lead and
mercury, how can anyone argue, as vaccine manufactures continue to do, that
that mercury, at any level, is harmless to developing tissues of children.
Yet
that autism debate rages on, the most disingenuous of the combatants parking
themselves in the absurd, overly simplistic extremes of genetics versus
environment. The truth likely lies somewhere in between. Certain children,
through their genetic makeups, are likely more sensitive to neurotoxins such
as mercury.



In an environment where drugs like Prozac seep into drinking water, and the
bodies of all of us bubble with a diversity of toxins, like PCBs and
dioxins,
who is to say what combination of toxins, thimerosal included, may provoke
childhood brain disorders like hyperactivity or autism? From a toxicological
point of view, mercury, possibly in combination with other toxins, might act
in a direct fashion on the brains of these kids. Or it's also possible,
given
what is known about mercury, that it could, drive the immune system into a
haywire interaction with its own nervous system and contributing to the
neurological damage.

On June 25, the same day that Kennedy made his assertions about the
mercury-autism connection on radio, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D, NY) held
subcommittee hearings into the health effects of environmental toxicity
suffered by 9-11 responders and residents. What many fail to appreciate is
that the plethora of illnesses currently afflicting tens of thousands of
9-11
responders offers us a mirror of the health effects related to the
accumulating toxicity to which we are all exposed. They come at us, and into
us, from our food, air, water and from products and materials we use at home
and at work over our lifetimes. Just as the genetic makeups of some children
can predispose them to brain/behavioral disorders, when exposed to
thimerosal,
a number of the 9-11 responders, against a background of a career of the
exposures they got while fighting fires, developed lung pathologies-- the
notorious WTC cough and chronic lung diseases --and also a host of
immunological and neurological symptoms. Their chronic fatigue, loss of
memory, inability to concentrate and disruption of sleep may, in a very real
sense, parallel the damaged neurology in mercury-exposed children.

Proponents of the thimerosal causation of autism, like Kennedy, argue that a
detoxification method called chelation therapy is of great benefit to these
children. Detoxification, they claim, is a necessary strategy in a
population
already polluted by its environment. Kennedy chides the CDC, and the
traditional U.S. medical establishment, for refusing to even study
chelation.
And in like fashion, when nearly 1,000 of the between 40,000 and 70,000
estimated 9-11 responders who say they have suffered health problems due to
their World Trade Center toxic exposures have demonstrated benefit from a
sauna detoxification procedure, New York City and its traditional medical
team
at Mt. Sinai Hospital and other WTC treatment centers vigorously ignore the
fact that this rehabilitation therapy is actually working. While the ill
responders continue to deteriorate and develop rare cancers, like multiple
myeloma, almost all of those who received detoxification therapy have
returned
to relatively normal lives, their mental fogginess allayed, their sleep
quality restored, their energy for living reinvigorated.

In general, this correlation bears testament to the growing necessity for
toxin cleansing on a planet groaning under the weight of body-stored toxins.
As for the condor connection mentioned at the beginning of this article,
interestingly, there was no hesitation when isotopic fingerprinting showed
that the endangered California condor was suffering from lead poisoning
after
ingestion of lead-bullet-poisoned carcasses left behind by hunters. Using
chelation to remove the lead from the condors' blood and tissues, wildlife
biologists rescued dozens of birds, greatly assisting a captive breeding
program that is returning the species to viability.

Future generations will tell us whether we too readily neglected and
rejected
chelation and other forms of detoxification in favor of traditional
medicine,
which tends to function within the trade space of putting more chemicals
(drugs) into bodies already overflowing with foreign substances. They will
tell us whether we were too resistant to a needed a paradigm shift, which
would recognize the need to relieve a body of its toxic burden as a more
viable path to regaining health rather than trying to relieve symptoms with
drug therapy alone.



VinyL is a molecular biologist who's passion is the philsophical and
pragmatic
expansion of the US healthcare system away from its insane addiction to
physician-lock, reductionistic, simpleminded drug therapy toward a
more-global
view based on the recognition of the primacy of organisms as
information-processing networks.


http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_vin_lopr_070629_autism_and_9_11_3a_th
e.htm

Children's Environmental Health Network Community Listserv
The content of listserv postings are the responsibility of individual
authors and
do not indicate the Children's Environmental Health Network's support or
endorsement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
A blank message to these addresses performs the following -
   cehncommunity-on@... gets you on the list.
   cehncommunity-off@... gets you off the list.
   cehncommunity-switch@... switches you to/from the fancy digest
version.
   cehncommunity-vacation@... switches you to/from the vacation list.

   Post your message to the list by sending it to cehncommunity@....

   To contact the list owner, send your message to
    cstroebel@....

Hi Everyone,
My little guy has lead levels of 49. We painted, did the lead clean
up according health regulations, went by the book, and yet my child's
lead levels shot up. He has Pica a disorder which causes one to eat
non eatable items. During the night he got up and bit through the
paint and even ate the wood of my window Ceil's.

I took him to the hospital after I saw he had been biting the window
Ceil, and they told me his lead levels are 49. Then they suggested
Chelation, and I said lets get started. The doctor said I could do
the Chelation at home, but I told him I would rather start the
Chelation at the hospital because my child had a stroke in October
2005, and I do not want to take any chances of him having any
complications with the Chelator. So far he is doing well on the
Chelator.

The name of the Chelator is Succimer. He stated on Succimer April 22
and will finish May 9th..
Tomorrow May 4th he will get a CBC platelets and Liver function test.
May 16th he will get his Lead Levels checked again.

I am telling you all of this, to let you know that even if you have
done the Lead clean up / paint over lead paint, your child is still
in danger of high lead levels.

We had our house reinspected for lead with an X-ray gun, and found
that the only place that lead was found was our front door / 6 large
windows...We will be replacing them this Saturday...It will be a huge
job, but well worth it.

The only safe way to get rid of lead is to remove the whole area that
the lead was found in...You never know what a child might do!

I will let you know how the CBC Platelets and liver function test
goes.

May God Bless you, and your families.

Deborah Brock
Autism Society of America