U.S. health officials are warning doctors to be on the lookout for possible cases of lead poisoning in children after at least 22 toddlers in 14 states were sickened by lead linked to tainted pouches of cinnamon apple puree and applesauce.
Children ages 1 to 3 were affected, and at least one child showed a blood lead level eight times higher than the level that raises concern, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
There’s no safe level of lead exposure, but the CDC uses a marker of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter to identify children with higher levels than most. The affected children’s blood lead levels ranged from 4 to 29 micrograms per deciliter.
The reported symptoms included headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, a change in activity level and anemia.
More than you’d want to know. Lead really fucks up your brain- one of the speculative causes of the drop in violence in the latter half of the 20th century in the US was banning leaded gasoline. Think about what that means for Boomers, who grew up with lead in the air during their crucial brain development years.
And now think about how those same people are our politicians!