"First with Kids" Video | Vermont Children's Hospital


	"First with Kids" Video
	Fletcher Allen Home > Departments & Services > Vermont Children's Hospital > "First with Kids" Video

Lewis First, MD offers parents and children tips for staying healthy and safe in his weekly First with Kids segments. Always delivered with enthusiasm and humor, First with Kids can be found on WOKO radio 98.9 FM, WCAX-TV Channel 3 and in the Chittenden County Newspaper Group papers.

Dr. First is Chief of Pediatrics at the Vermont Children's Hospital at Fletcher Allen Health Care and the Department of Pediatrics, University of Vermont College of Medicine.

This week Dr. First offers tips on:

Lead

October 20, 2008

View Video:

Get the Flash Player to see the video.

Read Article:

One of the most leading questions I get nowadays is about lead and whether children can still get lead poisoning, so let me get the lead out and provide some information on this subject.

Lead poisoning is still a problem. It affects almost 1 million children in the US. Although in 1996, the Vermont legislature passed Act 165 requiring all owners of rental housing and childcare facilities built before 1978 to perform lead clean-ups of their properties, exposure to lead still does occur. It can result in learning disabilities, decreased intelligence, abdominal pain and other health problems.

The key point is that lead poisoning is preventable. If you want to reduce your child’s exposure here are a few suggestions:

• The Department of Health recommends that you get your child tested for lead by age one and again at age two.

• If you live in an older house, particularly one built before 1978, make sure your child does not chew on painted windowsills, cribs or playpens that may contain lead paint. In fact, move the crib away from the windowsills where paint chips can fall.

• Ordinary dust and dirt contain lead, so make sure your children wash their hands when they come inside and especially before meals, naps and bedtime, so they don’t put those fingers in their mouth for long periods of time.

• If you work in construction, demolition, or painting, don’t bring it home on your clothes or track in the soil from your workplace – that contains lots of lead. Change your clothes before you go home or as soon as you are in the house.

• If you’re worried that your water pipes contain lead, run the water for 30 to 60 seconds before drinking to clear the pipes.

• Provide a diet rich in iron and/or calcium to reduce the absorption of lead, but remember not to store food in lead crystal glassware or old pottery.

Hopefully tips like this will “lead” you in the right direction when it comes to taking care of a possible exposure to lead.

Lewis First, MD is chief of pediatrics at the Vermont Children's Hospital at Fletcher Allen Health Care and the Department of Pediatrics, University of Vermont College of Medicine. You can also catch "First with Kids" weekly on WOKO, 98.9 FM and now on WCAX-TV, Channel 3. Visit www.vermontchildrens.org to access all of this year's First with Kids segments.