WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio created the following Q&A in order to help dental patients with questions they might have after watching their report. Please check this website again soon for more information that can help answer your questions.
More About 10 Investigates' Research
Feb 27 2008 4:14PM
The following fact sheet was provided by 10 Investigates based on the research conducted for this story:
What Should We Know About Lead?
The Department of Health and Human Services: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has a helpful fact sheets. Here is the link and some highlights.
What Is Lead?
Lead is a naturally occurring bluish-gray metal found in small amounts in the earth's crust. Lead can be found in all parts of our environment. Much of it comes from human activities including burning fossil fuels, mining, and manufacturing.
Lead has many different uses. It is used in the production of batteries, ammunition, metal products (solder and pipes), and devices to shield X-rays. Because of health concerns, lead from paints and ceramic products, caulking, and pipe solder has been dramatically reduced in recent years. The use of lead as an additive to gasoline was banned in 1996 in the United States.
Is There A Medical Test To Show Whether I've Been Exposed To Lead?
A blood test is available to measure the amount of lead in your blood and to estimate the amount of your recent exposure to lead. Blood tests are commonly used to screen children for lead poisoning. Lead in teeth or bones can be measured by X-ray techniques, but these methods are not widely available. Exposure to lead also can be evaluated by measuring erythrocyte protoporphyrin (EP) in blood samples. EP is a part of red blood cells known to increase when the amount of lead in the blood is high. However, the EP level is not sensitive enough to identify children with elevated blood lead levels below about 25 micrograms per deciliter. These tests usually require special analytical equipment that is not available in a doctor's office. However, your doctor can draw blood samples and send them to appropriate laboratories for analysis.
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For more information about the National Association of Dental Laboratories, please visit our website at www.nadl.org. For more information about the National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology, please visit www.nbccert.org.
If you have specific questions, please email those to nadl@nadl.org.
The National Association of Dental Laboratories
325 John Knox Road, Ste L103
Tallahassee, FL 32303
800/950-1150 Phone
www.nadl.org
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