“Prevent Lead Poisoning With Good Food”--Advice, Easy Recipes and Snack Ideas for Caregivers of Young Children

Abstract

Lead is an environmental contaminant that competes for binding sites with key nutrients including calcium and zinc. It is especially dangerous to young children and can cause irreversible neurological damage and even death. Although banning the sale of lead-based paint and gasoline has lowered the incidence and severity of lead poisoning among urban children, it remains a major risk in older cities such as Philadelphia where 97% of the housing stock was built before 1978 when lead paint was banned. Research has demonstrated that children who are not anemic and who regularly ingest adequate amounts of calcium and zinc absorb less lead, even when they live in a lead-contaminated environment. Many parents and caregivers are unaware or unsure of foods and meal plans that can best incorporate these nutrients into a healthy diet for their children. The public health nutrition unit and the childhood lead poisoning prevention unit of the municipal department of public health collaborated to produce a colorful and attractive, easy-to-read, multi-cultural booklet with simple recipes and snack ideas along with tips for reducing lead in a child's environment. The booklet is used as a counseling and educational tool throughout city and other federally qualified health centers, by community outreach workers and by other health professionals who provide lead poisoning prevention counseling to families.