I didn't find the citation for this 'groundbreaking new analysis and research'. Anybody see that? That Unicef article is handwavy and in a breathless tone that makes me wary.
Around one-in-three children globally suffer from lead poisoning
51–60 of 231 posts
Re: Around one-in-three children globally suffer from lead poisoning
#52I knew about lead poisoning for a while, but mostly in US context. It's almost a non-topic in Europe since leaded gasoline was banned (I'm actually wondering why: no leaded paints in EU?) If these numbers are true, why this is not on first pages of all media all the time? Crazy. I wonder how reliable are these numbers.
> It's almost a non-topic in Europe since leaded gasoline was banned
While this is true, it arguably should be discussed more. The lead hasn't all just gone away.
e.g.
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/224474/lead-from-leaded-petr...
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2021/06/lead-persis...
Re: Around one-in-three children globally suffer from lead poisoning
#53Perovskite, the new solar panel wonder material will put lead everywhere where there are solar panels in a few years. Carbon nanotubes have asbestos like disease causing properties. Nanotubes are hailed as the new semiconductor material and as having many other wonderful applications. DDTs and PCBs all started out as wonder chemicals.
Science marches on.
Re: Around one-in-three children globally suffer from lead poisoning
#54I remain shocked how we in the United States knowingly poisoned generations with leaded gasoline. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/leaded-gas-poison-... In searching for a substance that made gasoline less flammable (and hence stopped it from igniting outside of a cylinder, i.e. "knocking") we tried everything including adding melted butter! Lead along with a lot of other things worked well but we went with…
Leaded fuel is still widely used in piston engine airplanes (most small airplanes). https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/leaded-gas-wa...
There has recently been some real progress in this front, with the FAA approving unleaded fuel in about 600 engine models. Basically, aviators have been waiting a long time for the government to stop forcing them to use leaded fuel.
Re: Around one-in-three children globally suffer from lead poisoning
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
There are plenty of properties in the UK still fed by lead water pipes. It's not something people talk about often, but it can be a problem and should be part of a good property survey.
Our Victorian property still has a (shared) lead supply pipe. I've been repeatedly told it's not an issue due to (presumed) calcification on the inside of the pipe. All the interior pipework is copper. Our water was tested years ago by the waterboard and came back way below the legal limit. Yet still... I'm suspicious. Can anyone point me at resources to help prove it's unsafe?
I have seen books from the 1920s that recommended chemicals you could add to your water to prevent the water from eroding the lead. Water is a great solvent for almost anything, and so if you are not careful water will pick up whatever is in the pipes.
I'm not going to look up those chemicals - I doubt that they would pass modern safety standards. If you maintain a water supply that has lead anywhere you should figure out what modern chemicals to use to prevent lead (or whatever your pipes are made of) from being eroded. I hope the people who maintain water supplies already know about this though.
Re: Around one-in-three children globally suffer from lead poisoning
#56> These impacts are thought to be largely irreversible I'm noticing this claim made a lot in various contexts these days, most notably relating to the pandemic (about both the virus and vaccines). In those contexts as well as this one, I feel like it's used in a weaponised way to emphasise the seriousness of the harm caused, but by doing this there's some abandonment of those who have been harmed and consigns them to…
In my state blood lead testing is mandatory at two different ages. I think blood lead surveillance is widespread. Treatment is simple.
Re: Around one-in-three children globally suffer from lead poisoning
#57In western nations, a big contributor to lead in blood is ceramic items.[1]
The 'clear' coating on the outside of cups, mugs, teapots, etc. often contains lead, and slightly acidic drinks or water will cause it to leach out. That has a much bigger impact than leaded paint, because you typically don't lick your paint.
Lead glaze is most often used in artisan, novelty or complex items, because the lead oxide acts as a flux which allows the glazing to be done at a lower temperature, which is necessary when glazing complex objects which would otherwise melt or crack during the glazing process. Lead is also far easier to use, because it works over a wider temperature range, so if you do a "make your own pottery" day, you'll probably be using lead flux in your glaze.
[1]: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/event/2005/af...
Re: Around one-in-three children globally suffer from lead poisoning
#58I can't give a cite for the following I read it in either a newspaper or magazine probably 30+ years ago. There was a school district in a small town that for the first time gave IQ tests to all of the children in some younger age group, I think around 7 or 8. The results showed a several point difference between the white kids and the Black kids. The district wrote this off as due to cultural bias in the tests. One…
> The district wrote this off as due to cultural bias in the tests.
They did not rule this out? Could still have been a contributing factor.
Re: Around one-in-three children globally suffer from lead poisoning
#59I can't give a cite for the following I read it in either a newspaper or magazine probably 30+ years ago. There was a school district in a small town that for the first time gave IQ tests to all of the children in some younger age group, I think around 7 or 8. The results showed a several point difference between the white kids and the Black kids. The district wrote this off as due to cultural bias in the tests. One…
Not a small town, but the Philadelphia Tooth Fairy Project sounds similar: https://www.inquirer.com/philly/blogs/public_health/The-Phil...
I first learned about this from Radiolab: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/g-pro...
Re: Around one-in-three children globally suffer from lead poisoning
#60I remain shocked how we in the United States knowingly poisoned generations with leaded gasoline. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/leaded-gas-poison-... In searching for a substance that made gasoline less flammable (and hence stopped it from igniting outside of a cylinder, i.e. "knocking") we tried everything including adding melted butter! Lead along with a lot of other things worked well but we went with…
An aside, but certainly not outside of a cylinder? AFAIK knocking means premature ignition within the hot cylinder during the compression stroke, and/or detonation of the fuel/air mix rather than the desired deflagration.