Demographics:
Patrick
and his family live in Wadsworth, Ohio, which is located in the northeastern
part of the state, in Medina County. Patrick
and his wife, Sandy have Masters degrees in Psychology and both have fulfilling
careers. Patrick has been a
part-time family therapist and currently owns a seafood market.
Sandy is an administrator of a non-profit agency, which serves persons
with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
Their daughter will turn five in June 2000.
She was diagnosed with lead poisoning at her one year “well baby’
check up. Patrick was also
diagnosed with lead poisoning at about the same time, at 34 years of age.
The
Discovery:
Shortly after his daughter’s birth, Patrick spoke to their family doctor about the renovations he was doing on the outside of their home. He was using a heat gun and a grit sander to strip the paint to bare wood. He indicated that the windows were kept shut on the side of the home where he was working and that he was not tracking wood chips into the house. Their doctor explained that it sounded like he was using good care and he did not see a problem from the renovations. They were not certain that their 1920’s home had lead paint, but figured it was better to be cautious.
On
their daughter’s first birthday, they held a family party.
Patrick’s father came from New Jersey.
He happened to work for Princeton Gamma Technology, which is a company
that manufactures an x-ray florescent gun for the purpose of testing lead paint.
Patrick sent him home with a paint chip to be tested.
The paint chip tested positive for lead.
When
their daughter had her one-year check up, (different doctor) Patrick asked to
have her blood lead level checked. After
waiting more than two weeks for the results, he telephoned the doctor.
Sandy received the return phone call.
The doctor stated he did not have all of the lab results from the venous
blood draw, but her blood lead level was “slightly elevated” (ug/dl of 41).
The doctor told Sandy not to worry because her daughter was healthy and
without symptoms. He added that the
local health department would be notified, but she was not to worry, as that was
standard procedure. Sandy asked how
should they prevent further exposure, as they realized the problem was in the
home. It was suggested that they
contact a local painter for advice about cleanup. The doctor suggested a three-week chelation treatment to be
done at home. Patrick was assured
that lead poisoning was a problem of the past, and that they should not be
overly concerned.
Fortunately,
Sandy decided to pursue the matter further.
After numerous frustrating telephone calls for information (contacts with
hospitals, a Poison Control Center, health department, and the library), she was
put in touch with an Ohio Department of Health Sanitarian who was referred to as
the local “lead expert”. Up to
that point, he was the only person who could give any information about what
their daughter’s blood level meant. He
expressed alarm at their situation. The
Sanitarian advised that while he was not a physician, their daughter should
probably be hospitalized for a full medical workup and that she should be immediately
removed from the home. He
suggested that they obtain from their doctor a referral to a knowledgeable
physician at Children’s Hospital. Their
doctor reluctantly agreed.
With
their daughter at Children’s Hospital, Patrick and Sandy asked if they should
be tested. Their family doctor
would not order the blood tests, although he was telephoned several times.
They later learned that the doctor had the blood test of their daughter
for at least two weeks before they were made aware of them.
Patrick and Sandy were able to get their insurance to allow their former
physician to provide follow-up treatment. By
the time of hospitalization, their daughter’s blood level had risen to 46 ug/dl.
When tested Patrick’s level were 64 and Sandy’s was 10.
Fortunately,
their daughter responded positively to the chelation treatment.
She was discharged from the hospital with a three-week oral chelating
treatment. The catch, however, was
that she could not return to the home, as clean up had not yet occurred.
Testing by the ODH Sanitarian reveled that the entire home was lead
contaminated. They had to clean,
with special procedures, every item in
their home- clothing, furniture, walls, window treatments, etc.
All household items (top to bottom) were removed and cleaned.
About two weeks into the clean up, Patrick’s test results came back and
he also had to be removed from the home. The
lead abatement companies that they contacted for assistance with clean up only
worked on larger scale projects and weren’t interested in their project.
T heir
daughter received excellent treatment at Children’s, but they had difficulty
finding an approved physician who had experience treating adults with high blood
lead levels. Patrick had few
outward symptoms, although the tiredness and irritability were probably a result
of the lead poisoning. He also had
to be out of the home for three weeks also.
This meant the family was out of their home for six weeks!
Realtors
did not respond to their requests for short-term rentals.
Even a local church, which had an empty house to rent, did not respond.
They learned there was a considerable lack of knowledge and stigma about
lead poisoning. A six-week hotel
stay was not affordable, so they relied on the generosity of their friends.
All of the clean up expenses/costs were out of pocket expenses.
Most, if not all, homeowners’ insurance policies have exclusions
regarding lead paint clean up and removal.
They were fortunate to have a good health insurance policy.
Sandy’s employer was supportive and she was able to be out of work for
more than three weeks during their ordeal.
After many calls, the Ohio Department of Health agreed to do a clearance test of their home to determine if clean up efforts were within normal levels. However, the lab results were lost and they were not available to return for several months. Not knowing whom else could perform these clearance tests, they returned to their home without the testing.
The
Impact:
The
experience was horrendous, still Patrick and Sandy considers them fortunate.
They have met many families who have children diagnosed with
developmental disabilities as a result of lead poisoning.
To date, neither Patrick nor his daughter shows any major effects from
the lead poisoning. Patrick’s
daughter does get leg cramps regularly, that are probably attributable to the
lead. However, there was and
continues to be a lot of fear of the unknown.
Studies that report IQ points lost for every number above 10 is
unsettling. Their daughter received
monthly blood levels for over two years, until her blood lead level dropped to
below 10. (The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention recommends that the
blood lead level be below 15 for one year, before moving to less frequent
monitoring.)
Most
frustrating has been the lack of information and resources available.
Patrick and Sandy feel that if they had not aggressively questioned the
issue, their daughter would not have received appropriate treatment and that he
might not have been diagnosed at all – until permanent damage had occurred.
They were lucky to have a family member who could test for the presence
of lead paint.
This
family has attended and spoken at several conferences on the hazards of lead.
They tell anyone who has a home built before 1978, and especially before
1950, to be wary of renovations, without adequate knowledge of lead-safe paint
removal methods. Still it astounds
them how often they see people make the same mistakes they did.
Although, probably not the largest effected population, they see many
do-it-yourselfers, with small children, renovating their homes.
There
needs to be a better way to warn the medical and general community about the
hazards of lead paint. Lead is not
a problem of the past. One study
indicated that as many as 18% of Ohio’s school children have elevated blood
lead levels.
Neither Patrick nor his daughter has any measurable problems from lead poisoning. She appears to be reaching all developmental milestones on target. Still, they are not able to predict if behavioral or learning problems will result in later years. The experts tell them not to worry.