The George Foundation was founded in January 1995 by Dr. Abraham George. The foundation is dedicated to the welfare of India's children, especially those who are victims of poverty and those who suffer from adverse environmental conditions. Lead poisoning and children Children and pregnant women are particularly susceptible to lead poisoning. Children's digestive systems absorb up to 50 percent of the lead they ingest. The high retention occurs from birth to age 6 when the brain is developing, and lead interferes with its development.
Children pick up lead dust from the floor from their toys, and from pets.
They ingest lead when they put their hands in their mouths, when they eat with the hands, when they suck their thumbs, and when they ingest soil. Lead compounds used in paint taste sweet, encouraging small children to lick or chew paint chips or chalky paint residue. A single chip of paint the size of a thumbnail contains 40-200 mg ug of lead and a few such chips can raise the intake of lead to 1,000 times the acceptable limit. Childhood lead poisoning is typically more severe in developing countries due to inadequately controlled industrial emissions, unregulated cottage industries and cultural practices such as folk medicines containing lead. The World Health Organization estimates that 15-18 million children in developing countries are suffering from permanent brain damage due to lead poisoning.