M9.4: Heavy Metals

It’s a well-known fact that exposure to lead is harmful to the body. Although a lot of people don’t necessarily think that it would ever happen to their young children, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren because perhaps the level of exposure is so low that there’s no sign of symptoms. They don’t realize the bigger picture that low level of exposure to lead over time can lead to cognitive function problems and IQ deficit which in turn can have a life-long impacts for those children because as a result it can negatively affect their academic performance. On the other hand, people living in rural regions or third-world countries often lack the knowledge of how to look for signs and symptoms of lead exposure in young children whether the level is high or low. If it’s low level exposure, the symptoms might not be life threatening and therefore do not raise concerns or alarms. But when the exposure is significant, by the time the local authorities decide to do something about it, it might have already severely affected the population that live there, especially the vulnerable population of young children. It’s unfortunate that we are in the 21^st century yet lead poisoning is still a relevant problems. Therefore, it’s important to raise awareness and provide everyone especially families with the proper knowledge to prevent lead poisoning.