Getting The Lead Out

A 13-State soil test by USA TODAY shows dirt hazardous to health of kids.


Some folks in Philadelphia just learned a long-gone factory once melted lead across the street from their home. They had no idea how bad the contamination was until their kids began glowing in the dark.


The children are exposed to a poison that lowers intelligence and delays puberty. It’s something of a mixed blessing: they do poorly in school but their clothes fit them longer.


Special teams spent two months testing soil in back yards across the country. They came up with higher scores than the kids who played in the yards.


The EPA considers levels of lead above 400 parts per million hazardous to kids. Some areas with as much as 3,400 parts per million give a whole new meaning to the call to ‘get the lead out.’


Tests show that, for decades, concentrations at Brooklyn’s Red Hook Park baseball field are as much as five times greater than EPA’s hazard level. We all thought they meant run faster when they kept shouting “Get The Lead Out.”


Red Hook Park was on the list of sites visited by EPA, though the department says it has no record of investigating or being there. Which indicates the inspectors may have spent too much time running the bases.


Scientists found that swallowing just 6 micrograms of lead particles a day over 3 months can result in the loss of 1 IQ point. That announcement prompted Mensa officials to send testers to the neighborhoods of all their members.


In the face of all these test numbers, Mensa people came up with disclaimer for their famous test: If you’ve been playing in lead-contaminated dirt, don’t bother answering any of these questions.


One of the symptoms of lead poisoning is irritability. Of course, that can also come from being forced to take all those damn tests.


One published study showed children’s hands picked up high levels of lead during outdoor play sessions at day care centers in New Orleans. Police reports show adults can pick up a lot more lead than that just walking down the street in some New Orleans eighborhoods.


Wikipedia describes lead as a heavy metal that can cause behavior disorders, confusion, and headaches. Sounds like what I went through when my kids listened to Kiss and Led Zeplin.




Playing in lead can have an adverse affect on your heart, intestines, and a variety of body processes. Not all that much different than being married.



©  2012   Jim Gordon