St. Louis' unusually high lead-poisoning rate can be attributed in part to the city's old, industrial characteristics, says Fernando Serrano, an instructor at St. Louis University's School of Public Health. About nine in 10 St. Louis buildings were built before 1978, when interior lead paint was banned. We have old houses that are. If people are living in those houses, particularly children, then you have the potential for children to be contaminated by the lead. Lead poisoning is the No. 1 environmental disease among American children, according to the federal government.
Poisoning can result through ingesting lead paint chips or inhaling lead dust.
Children are more susceptible because they crawl on the floor and are more likely to put things in their mouths. Children also absorb lead more easily than adults and are more vulnerable to its effects. Lead poisoning can cause a decrease in IQ and attention span as well as hyperactivity, behavioral disorders, reading disabilities, and, in extreme cases, coma and death. Experts say the condition is often irreversible, but sometimes it can be treated with special drugs that wash out the stomach. As horrifying as the problem is, especially in St. Louis, there is a tremendous amount of hope.