European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 23, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Focus Lead is everywhere and so is its threat to children s brains to your Miall m  the new York times Everly Mielke was a Middle class 3-year-old who in 1984 lived in a Well kept Home in St. Paul Minn. So what was she doing with Lead poisoning the problem was eventually traced to a Lead contaminated Sandbox at her Day care Center. Her father a Lexicology is was appalled at How easily his daughter had accumulated dangerous Levels of Lead in her blood Levels that recent studies have shown can permanently damage a Young child s brain. As Beverly s Case shows a child does not have to be poor or live in dilapidated housing to suffer permanent intellectual impairment from iow4evel Lead poisoning. Lead is a widespread environmental pollutant and new studies show that it is an insidious Poison that can damage affluent White children just As easily As it can harm the poor Black children who Are its most frequent victims in this country. The new studies support the concern of Federal health officials who describe Lead poisoning As the no. 1Environmental problem facing american children. The findings counter assertions from the Lead Industry that genetic and socioeconomic factors Are mainly responsible for the lowered intelligence that has been linked to Lead. Studies following children from before birth show that exposure to Levels of Ead that were Long considered Safe can lower intelligence and that the effects Are noted in Middle class and affluent White children As Well As in poor Black and hispanic children. The studies also show that Lead damage to the brain can Start even before birth if the pregnant woman has elevated Levels of Lead in her body. Other studies suggest similar Low Lead Levels cause behavioural abnormalities in Young children particularly undue aggressiveness. The findings show that even though efforts to reduce Lead exposure have drastically Cut cases of obvious Lead poisoning in Young children current exposure limits Are not Low enough to prevent brain damage in millions of american children. Many of the children studied had measurable lasting losses in intelligence associated with Levels of Lead that produce no apparent physical symptoms and that Are not currently considered a cause for aggressive action. Lead is everywhere1, in air water soil food dust. It gets into the air from Industrial and vehicular emissions from tobacco smoke and paint dust and from the burning of solid wastes that contain Lead. Airborne Lead Levels dropped sharply after the nation began phasing out leaded gasoline but Many vehicles still use fuel containing Lead. Lead occurs naturally in soil which also collects Lead from the air and other sources when crops Are grown in soil containing Lead the Poison can enter the food Chain. Other sources of Lead include foods stored or served in Lead glazed pottery or Lead Crystal As Well As processed foods sold in Lead soldered cans. Despite a Federal ban on using these cans for food Many imported foods Are still sold in Lead soldered cans. Lead is also a natural constituent of surface and ground Waters that Supply drinking water to Many millions of americans. The use of Lead in plumbing is now banned but it can still get into drinking water from old water pipes that contain Lead. House dust is a common source of Lead for Young children who pick up the dust on their hands and then put their hands in their Mouths. The dust can become contaminated with Lead from the air and from flaking House paint that contains Lead. The use of indoor paints containing Lead was banned in 1977, but about 57 million Homes built before then contain leaded paints. Conventional methods for removing paint like sanding or scraping can fill the air with Lead. Toung children absorb far More Lead than adults exposed to the same Levels and absorption is highest among those with Iron deficiency a problem especially prevalent among poor children., children in inner cities Are especially vulnerable because they often live in old Homes with flaking Lead based paint and in areas where Lead contamination from Industry and vehicles is High. Sources of Lead because they live a hand to Mouth existence children can easily ingest Toad dust from their environment. Had in pipes diet won t affect skin getting baby on a bottle by or. Moden a Wilson and or. Alain Joffe the Baltimore Sun q is there any truth that chocolate sodas or Fried foods make acne worse a i eating tots of chocolate and wed foods and drinking soda May be bad Tor your Waistline heart and Teeth but As far As we know they Don t affect your skirt. Over the years it has been shown that acne is caused by a combination of factors unrelated to diet. The skin cells of people prone to acne tend to be excessively Sticky causing blockage of the skin pores. Sebum a fatty substance made deep in the pores by glands cannot get to the skin surface. This leads to acne blemishes. Certain kinds of bacteria on the skin As Well As hormonal stimulation of the glands also play a  makes acne worse in some people. We wonder if under stressful conditions people tend to eat More chocolate and Fried foods. If their acne gets worse at this time they May believe that diet is the culprit. There Are a number of simple and effective treatments currently available for acne. Check with your doctor since the Best treatments Are available Only by prescription. Not from birth my baby has had nothing but breast milk. Now she s 3 months old and i d like to go out with my husband for a few hours occasionally. I have saved plenty of breast milk but she won t take it from the bottle. The Sitter said she cried the whole time we were at a movie last saturday. What can i do j your daughter won t starve to death if she takes nothing at All for the length of a feature film but you naturally want to make both your baby and the slate More comfortable when you go out. We Are not too surprised she rejects a bottle. Many breast fed babies want nothing to do with a rubber nipple if they Haven t gotten used to one Early in life. We advise mothers who Are successfully breast feeding but who plan to use a bottle occasionally to let the baby practice with it once in a while beginning at about 4 weeks old. We Don t advise a bottle earlier than that because the baby May find it too easy and reject the breast. But you need t fee you be created a big problem even though you did t get your daughter bottle ready. The fact that you Are breast feeding is much much More important. Feed her right before you go out. Then when your daughter seems hungry the Sitter can drip breast milk into her Mouth with a spoon. Though this is slower than a bottle it should keep your baby Content for a White. You May also want to allow your baby to suck on her thumb or a pacifier. She May be using the breast to Comfort herself and will need a substitute when the Sitter is with her. If neither of these suggestions works you can still take heart. Your daughter will soon be old enough to drink from a cup and to eat other foods. In a very Short time your daughter Wilt no longer be so dependent on you but your milk will have Given her a very Good Start in life. 20 the stars and stripes tuesday february 23, 1993