His parents had him tested for lead just because they lived in an old house. They never suspected they were being anything other than cautious. The lead in his blood registered more than three times the level at which health experts become concerned. They went so far as to have an entire section of their house removed. Their son's lead level went down, but health authorities are unsure of the long-term damage, if any, to the boy.
Experts say such exposure can cause speech and language delays and shorten a child's attention span.
Thoenes relates this story to illustrate how childhood lead poisoning is not something that happens only to poor children. In fact, Thoenes is particularly concerned about children who live in the Old Northeast and similar neighborhoods in the 33704 ZIP code. About half of the houses in that area were built before 1950 and likely were painted with lead-based paint. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say children who live in these houses are most at risk. Every weekend, Thoenes said, people in older neighborhoods are renovating homes with power sanders and crowbars, creating lead paint dust.