Lead and mercury pollution
Optional Resources on Lead
Online Resources
"Ban on Lead-Wicked
Candles Welcome, Long Overdue," Public Citizen, news release, 14 February
2001 (posted at Common Dreams News Center)
"Lead Loading of Urban Streets
by Motor Vehicle Wheel Weights," Robert A. Root, Environmental Health Perspectives,
October 2000 (v. 108, n. 10) -- Lead weights, which are used to balance motor vehicle
wheels, are lost and deposited in urban streets, that they accumulate along the outer
curb, and that they are rapidly abraded and ground into tiny pieces by vehicle traffic.
Lead deposition at one intersection in Albuquerque, New Mexico, ranged from 50 to 70
kg/km/year (almost 11 g/ft2/year along the outer curb), a mass loading rate
that, if accumulated for a year, would exceed federal lead hazard guidelines more than
10,000 times.
"The Secret History of
Lead," Jamie Lincoln Kitman, The Nation, 20 March 2000 -- Highly
recommended: "How did lead get into gasoline in
the first place? And why is leaded gas still being sold in the Third World, Eastern Europe
and elsewhere? Recently uncovered documents, a new skein of academic research and a
careful reading of that long-ago period's historical record, as well as dozens of
interviews, tell the true story of leaded gasoline. The leaded gas adventurers have
profitably polluted the world on a grand scale and, in the process, have provided a model
for the asbestos, tobacco, pesticide and nuclear power industries." [Five
web pages, 20,700 words]
"The Core of the Candle
Problem," Carol Potera, Environmental Health Perspectives, April 2000 (v. 108,
n. 4) -- A Public Citizen survey of 285 candles available in 12 different chain stores in
the Baltimore/Washington, DC, area were examined in February 2000. Some 30% of the candles
were found to have metal wicks. Wicks of one of each of these candles were analyzed to
determine their lead content. Nine of the candlewicks contained as much as 85% lead by
weight. According to the group's calculations, burning such candles could yield ambient
air lead concentrations that are 9-33 times higher than the EPA standard.
"Dumbing Down the
Children--Part 3," Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly #689, 2 March 2000
-- "The American Academy of Pediatrics in 1993 reviewed 18 medical studies showing
that lead diminishes a child's mental abilities. 'The relationship between lead levels and
IQ deficits was found to be remarkably consistent,' the Academy said. 'A number of studies
have found that for every 10 mcg/dL increase in blood lead levels, there was a lowering of
mean [average] IQ in children by 4 to 7 points." Further, "10 mcg/dL of lead--
the federal government's current 'acceptable' standard for lead poisoning-- is sufficient
to cause a general dumbing down of children exposed at that level." And
"children living in low-income families are 8 times as likely to be lead poisoned as
children who are not poor. Black children are 5 times as likely to be lead poisoned as
white children."
"Dumbing Down the
Children--Part 2," Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly #688, 24 February
2000 -- "Why would governments set policies that continue to poison children?"--
Recently, as a result of a lawsuit, many internal documents from the paint and lead
industries became public for the first time. "To summarize the Lead Industry
Association's argument: The poisoning of children cannot be remedied because of parents
who live in slums and cannot be educated. In short, lead poisoning is the parents'
fault."
"Dumbing Down the
Children--Part 1," Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly #687, 17 February
2000 -- "Today nearly a million children in the U.S. younger than 5 are believed to
suffer from low-level lead poisoning, according to the federal Centers for Disease
Control." State governments in the U.S. are refusing to comply with a 1989 federal
law requiring that children be tested for lead poisoning.
"EHP net: Leaders in Lead," Environmental
Health Perspectives, June 1999 (v. 107, n. 6)
-- As old lead-based paint in homes ages and deteriorates, children, who are more
susceptible to lead poisoning than adults, can easily ingest the resulting dust. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 4.4% of U.S. children ages
one to five have too much lead in their bodies, mostly as a result of the lead-based paint
in their homes.
"Lead: Statistics and
Information," Minerals Information, U.S. Geological Survey, 2000.
"Lead in the Inner Cities," Howard W. Mielke, American Scientist,
January-February 1999 (v. 87, n. 1) -- Highly recommended: An
outstanding review by an eminent lead toxicologist and geographer. (Also at alternate site) [5,700 words]
Alliance To End
Childhood Lead Poisoning, home page -- "...a national, non-profit public interest
organization dedicated exclusively to preventing childhood lead poisoning."
"Japan Lead-Manufacturers' Curbs Behind Demand Dip," Reuters News Service, 27
October 1999 -- "...a draft proposal made by the European Commission (EC)... would
ban lead, mercury and other toxic metals from most electrical and electronic goods by
2004."
Lead
Safety, Online Safety Library, Oklahoma State University, Dept. of Health and Safety,
December 1999.
"A Review of the Problem of Lead Poisoning in Waterfowl," Glen C. Sanderson and
Frank C. Bellrose, Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois. Special
Publication 4. 34 pp. Jamestown ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, U.S.
Geological Survey. Originally published August 1986; revised version 17 October 1997.
"Zeroing in on Pollution, Criminality Connection," Roger D. Masters and others, Crime
Times, 1997 (v. 3, n. 4, pp. 1-3) -- "...a body of converging evidence implicates
toxic heavy metals as culprits in America's epidemic of violent crime. Scientific support
for the heavy metal/crime link comes from five different types of research."
Contents and Introduction to "The Hour of Lead," Peter Reich, Environmental
Defense Fund, June 1992 -- "A Brief History of Lead Poisoning in the United States
Over the Past Century and of Efforts by the Lead Industry to Delay Regulation"
"Mexico
Mining Firm Agrees to Scour Polluted City," Dan Trotta, Reuters News Service, 11 May
1999
"Lead Based Hair
Products: Too Hazardous for Household Use," Mielke, H. W., M.D.
Taylor, C.R. Gonzales, M.K. Smith, P.V. Daniels and A.V. Bucknerl, Journal of American
Pharmaceutical Association, NS37, Jan/Feb 1997:85-89 – Shows that "some hair coloring products sold in pharmacies contain
more lead than paint, making them a public health hazard."
"Blood lead levels for
Americans have declined dramatically, but some children continue to be at risk of lead
exposure, according to an article published in today's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
Report (MMWR) by CDC. The findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey (NHANES), show declines in blood lead levels in every segment of the U.S.
population. This is believed to be the result of removal of lea from gasoline as well as
from other sources such as household paint, food and drink cans and plumbing systems.
However, blood lead levels remain higher among children in low-income families, especially
those living in older housing where leaded paints may have been used." -- U.S.Center
for Disease Control, February 1997, "Blood Lead Levels Keep Dropping; New Guidelines
Recommended for Those Most Vulnerable."
According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no threshold blood lead level in
children below which no adverse effects occur. Therefore, the traditional risk
assessment method of relating dose to an RfD for noncancer effects is not applicable to
lead. -- J.S. LaKind and others, 1994, "Comparison of Four Models for Predicting
Blood Lead Levels in Children," Society for Risk Analysis 1994 Annual Meeting.
Lead in the Air; a brief
EPA overview of status, effects and trends; including: "Between 1988 and 1997,
ambient Pb [lead] concentrations decreased 67 percent, and total Pb emissions decreased 44
percent. Since 1988, Pb emissions from highway vehicles have decreased 99 percent due to
the phase-out of leaded gasoline."
PVC Toys and Heavy
Metals (Greenpeace report, released Oct. 9, 1997); reveals that hazardous levels of
lead and cadmium are found in vinyl plastic children's products.
Lead
in Mini-Blinds. "For the last 20 years, blinds manufactured in the United States
have not used lead as a stabilizer because of the well recognized health hazards
associated with lead. Indeed, the manufacture of blinds containing lead is prohibited in
the United States. However, virtually all vinyl miniblinds imported to and sold in the
United States contain some lead. Approximately 25 million blinds are imported each year
from the countries of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mexico and Indonesia. They mostly contain
some lead. Lead in miniblinds is not used as lead paint. Rather, it is used as a
stabilizing additive for rigidity and color retention. As such, lead is one of the last
items added in the manufacturing process. Thus, the lead is very near the surface of the
blinds." -- Law Offices of Herbert Monheit, 1996
"While Congress has put the brakes on lead in gasoline, the incinerator industry has
been expanding; incinerators spew lead into the air in large quantities, and incinerator
ash buried in the ground introduces additional massive amounts of lead into the nation's
soils." -- Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly #189. July
11, 1990 -- Incinerator Ash--Part 1: Lead Poisoning Epidemic in Children
"Ship of Ills," New Internationalist Magazine, Issue 295, May 1998 --
"Brazilians are being poisoned by used car batteries shipped from the US. And it's
called 'recycling'."
"Lead Overload: Lead Battery Waste Trade and Recycling in the Philippines,"
Greenpeace Australia Report.
"Heavy Burden: A case study on the lead waste imports into India," Greenpeace
Australia Report, March 1997
"Exposure of
Workers in Recycling of Hazardous Lead Battery Wastes in India," an abstract of a
1995 article.
Rachel's
Environment & Health Weekly #213, December 26, 1990 -- Lead--Part 1: Examines
"The exposure of American children to damaging quantities of the toxic metal, lead,
[that] has reached terrible epidemic proportions."
Rachel's
Environment & Health Weekly #214, January 3, 1991 -- Lead--Part 2
Lead
and environmental racism. Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly #294, July 15,
1992
National
Lead Information Center – site about lead, with many informational links
(operated by the Environmental Health Center, a Division of the National Safety Council)
National Lead Information Center,
Lead Web Links
Fact Sheet on Lead,
published by U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
"Study Indicates
Childhood Lead Exposure May Result in Health Effects 20 Years Later" (1997),
published by U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) [begins about
1/4 way down web page]
Peter Montague's stinging criticism of ATSDR, which reviews a series of case studies
revealing "the agency's wrongdoings and wrong-headedness, from the perspective of
citizens." Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly #292, 1 July 1992
EPA's characterization of the lead
industry (including information on the size, geographic distribution, employment,
production, sales, and economic condition), July 1996.
"Newly Designed Gene Can Remove Heavy Metal Pollutants From Soil" – 1996
article which says that Arabidopsis plants hold promise for cleaning up outdoor areas
contaminated with heavy metals.
Lead
Poisoning Prevention Branch of the California Dept. of Health Services maintains a lead
information site (with sections on Lead in Paint, Lead in Soil, Lead in Home Remedies,
Lead in the Work Place, Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Childhood Lead Poisoning, and
Helpful Contacts - National Organizations).
"Homebuyers' and
Renters' Lead-based Paint Right-To-Know Requirements," Hazardous Substances
& Public Health, Fall 1996, v. 6, n. 3.
Other Resources
The Hour of Lead; A Brief History of Lead Poisoning in the United
States Over the Past Century and of Efforts by the Lead Industry to Delay Regulation,
Peter Reich, Environmental Defense Fund (Toxic Chemicals Program, 1875 Connecticut Ave.
NW, Washington, DC 20009); $5.00 [to order]
"Millions of Dangerous Candles Sold Throughout U.S.; Lead Wicks Pose
Major Safety Hazard, Especially to Children," Public Citizen, 24 February 2000 --
Dangerous candles are on the market that have metal wicks containing lead, which, when
burned for three hours, can lead to average air lead concentrations ranging from nine to
33 times higher than recommended by federal guidelines. The lead in some sampled wicks was
as high as 85 percent by weight. It is risky to burn any candle with a metal wick unless
one is certain it does not contain lead.
"Urban children [in India] have higher blood lead level,"
Kalpana Jain, The Times of India News Service, 27 March 1999 -- "The first
major study in six Indian cities shows more than 50 per cent of children under 12 years
have lead levels in their blood significantly higher than acceptable
standards... Lead in petrol is considered the main pollutant..."
Thomas Detwyler maintains this page (tdetwyle@uwsp.edu)
Last updated 19 February 2001
� Copyright 1998-2001 by Thomas Detwyler