In some areas of California, it's suggested that children there are showing higher levels of lead poisoning than that which was found for individuals from Flint, Michigan during their recent water crisis.
In Fresno for example, they found 13.6 percent of blood tests for children who were under 6 years old had come back positive for having high for lead.
According to recent blood testing data that was obtained by Reuters, it's alleged that aside from Fresno, dozens of other communities within California have also shown increased rates of childhood lead poisoning; far surpassing those rates found in Flint.
According to the data that Reuters obtained, it's alleged that at least 29 different communities showed children having elevated rates of lead in their blood, rates that at least matched or surpassed those found in Flint.
Since the water crisis occurred in Flint, Michigan, a number of people have gotten sick as a result and there have been a number of class action lawsuits launched, seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in remedy for the victims.
For many of the residents in the Flint area, they've been told by officials that the water is officially safe for them to go ahead and drink now.
But some of them aren't buying the claims and they are still being cautious, preferring to use bottled water rather than straight from the tap.
Deep distrust for state officials still remains for many who are living in the area.
For Fresno, it's alleged that their rates were three times higher than the rates from Flint. And officials from California are calling on experts to investigate as to where the sources of exposure are coming from.
The recent data that was released which highlighted the problem, was made available by the California Department of Public Health.
The data relates to tests that were conducted around 2012. And it's alleged that data was withheld for zip codes where there were fewer than 250 children screened. Overall, the data represents roughly 400,000 children who were tested in about 546 different area codes.
Health Issues..
Lead is regarded as a highly toxic metal; a very strong poison.
Lead can cause damage to the brain as well as other parts of the nervous system. And some of the health issues that are brought-on by lead poisoning might never go away. When it comes to children who have lead poisoning, it can slow their growth, hinder their development, damage speech and hearing, fuel behavior problems, and more.
Since the news came out this week about the worrisome lead levels, health officials in California have responded, trying to downplay the worries, insisting that there isn't anything to be concerned about. They allege that there are only a few areas which are at a high risk.
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The information that is posted above is not intended or implied to ever be used as any substitute for professional medical advice, or diagnosis or treatment. The above is posted for informational purposes only.
Source:
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/national-international/Lead-Poisoning-Among-Children-in-Some-California-Locales-Higher-Than-Flint-417118753.html
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/01/water-flint-now-officially-safe-drink
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-lead-california-exclusive-idUSKBN16T18Y
http://vitals.lifehacker.com/how-to-know-if-you-and-your-family-are-being-exposed-to-1763514905
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/tools/leadglossary_508.pdf
http://www.scpr.org/news/2017/03/27/70187/health-official-assures-public-lead-poising-risk-i/
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