A child explores the world by touching, tasting, and putting things into its mouth. However, sometimes these objects and materials contain dangerous and unseen contaminants such as lead. Lead is a naturally occurring, et very toxic heavy metal, that can cause dangerous health problems when there is too much of it in our bodies. For years, lead has been used as a major ingredient in home paint— and even paint for children’s toys as it has many qualities that make paint durable, colorful and inexpensive to manufacture. In the United States, lead poisoning is the most common preventable children’s health problem. Over 3 million children (ages 6 and under) in the U.S. suffer from lead poisoning. Illinois has the highest rate of child lead poisoning with 5,000 cases in 2008. It is especially dangerous for young children because it can negatively affect mental and physical development. The good news is that lead poisoning is preventable. It just requires parents to take preventative measures to reduce a… Continue Reading