Lead and Asbestos Risks in the Home
Being a new mother can be challenging in more ways than one. Whether this is your first or your seventh baby, bringing home the little one takes a lot of preparation. The precautions taken to make ourselves ready financially, physically, and emotionally ensure that your baby will live a long, healthy life. However, without realizing it, your home may be putting both you and your baby at risk. Watching out for external toxins like lead and asbestos could mean the difference between a healthy home and a hazardous one.
What is Lead?
Lead is a natural metal found in the earth. It is used in for many construction and appliance needs and can be found in pipes, paint, and heaters in older homes. It is also in soil and water that flows into some homes. If lead is ingested, lead poisoning can follow. Children are especially susceptible to lead poisoning because they tend to put things like paint chips and soil in their mouths.
Symptoms and Signs?
Symptoms of lead poisoning include lethargy, abdominal pain, vomiting, hearing loss, seizures, mania, deliria, and coma. If you suspect that your home may contain unsafe amounts of lead, check for signs of lead poisoning. These include a blue discoloration of the gum lines, anemia, irritability, restlessness, and impaired motor skills. These signs are especially apparent in children.
If you witness these signs, be sure to see a doctor and request a blood screen for lead poisoning. Depending on the severity of the poisoning, it may be enough to remove the toxins and maintain a diet high in necessary vitamins. Other procedures may prove more complicated, ranging from an intravenous saline drip to oral chelation therapy.
What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a natural mineral found in deposits in the earth. There are four types of asbestos: crocidolite, amosite and anthophyllite, and chrysotile, with chrysotile being used more regularly. It can be found in drywall, insulation, heating appliances, car parts, and tile adhesive. When asbestos is intact and undamaged, it is generally nontoxic. But when asbestos is scratched, broken, sanded, or cut, fine fibers are released into the air. These fibers can be inhaled or ingested by you or your baby, resulting in mesothelioma.
Symptoms and Signs?
Mesothelioma is a cancer that attacks the mesothelium, or lining of the lungs. It can also attack abdominal lining. Mesothelioma symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing, and chest heaviness. However, these symptoms are often latent for 20-50 years. It may take time before you or your child show any hint of having mesothelioma symptoms, and by then, the cancer may have metastasized, making treatment difficult or impossible. Mesothelioma treatment is similar to other cancer treatments and includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and tumor removal surgery.
If you suspect asbestos exposure, it is important that you and your family request cancer screenings as soon as possible. Be sure not to attempt to remove any asbestos products on your own, as this may cause damage to the product. Instead, find a licensed asbestos abatement professional.
Keeping your home free of external toxins makes it safer for you and your baby. Keeping yourself and your child healthy by exercising and eating a balanced diet is always important. But don’t ignore the dangers that lead and asbestos pose. Enjoying your health, your home, and your family means keeping your eyes open.
Article courtesy of Eric Stevenson
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