Lead Poisoning & Special Ed - Revisited

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I recently ran a post about the outrageously high level of lead poisoning in the children in the Detroit public school system. I'm still alarmed. How are we pumping these kids so full of lead.

A couple of astute readers brought up the connection that lead poisoning is at least one cause of autism or autism symptoms in young children. The connection with special education law becomes somewhat clearer.

Here , for example, is a study published in 2005 that further develops the link between lead poisoning and autism. The results are frightening.

Anybody interested in waging a campaign to detoxify our kids? This is apparently a very serious issue. What are the levels of lead poisoning in the children in your community? Do you know?

I also wonder if the poverty issue is separate from or a part of this issue. Do poor kids eat and breathe more lead?

This is 2010. Can't we find a way to keep lead away from our kids? What are your thoughts?

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Lead Poisoning & Special Ed

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I hope that this is wrong:

A recent news article caught my eye. It said that students in Detroit's Public school system were recently tested for lead. The study concluded that overall, 58% of roughly 39,000 students tested -- 22,755 children -- had a history of lead poisoning. Worse yet, of the 39,199 students tested as young children, only 23 had no lead in their bodies.

The article mentioned that special education students had even higher levels of lead in their bodies. So this is a special education issue although it is much broader that just that. Here is a link to the Detroit free Press article.

Really, ... we still haven't figured this out yet? I have often wondered whether poverty doesn't have a big impact upon school performance. I guess that in addition to inadequate nutrition, an inadequate exposure to words, poor kids inhale or eat too much lead. In 2010, kids are going to school with toxic levels of lead!

Maybe Johnny can't read because he has too much lead in his system. This just makes my blood boil.

Am I overreacting? Isn't this a big deal?

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