LEAD A SILENT THREAT TO KIDS; SIMPLE BLOOD TEST CAN HELP DETECT POISONING, WHICH OFTEN TAKES ON SYMPTOMS OF OTHER AILMENTS.

Byline: David A. Warshaw Local View

In an era when many parents believe they are powerless to protect their children from serious harm, including injury or death caused by drunken drivers, molesters, gang members, or even air toxins, there is one danger which children face, but which can easily be prevented. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified lead poisoning as the ``Number One Environmental Threat'' to American children, but it is a disease that is easily preventable.

Playground equipment is being removed from some Los Angeles County parks after tests found high levels of lead in the paint covering some older items such as jungle gyms or swings.

The government has labeled lead poisoning as a serious threat because it is a disease that is easily acquired, and causes serious damage to children. A child would have to ingest an amount of lead equal to one granule of sugar each day during the toddler stage to reach a moderate level of lead poisoning.

Lead poisoning can cause permanent brain damage, permanent neurological damage, injury to blood-forming tissues, kidney damage, convulsions, hearing loss, reproductive defects, reduced IQ, reduced attention span, behavioral problems, violence and death.

Lead poisoning is a silent threat to American children because the common symptoms of the disease are similar to many other, unrelated, disorders.

These include, but are not limited to, at a moderate level: decreased hearing, hyperactivity, and slowed reflex time.

At a severe level, common symptoms include: more pronounced hyperactivity, stunted growth, learning disabilities, hearing and kidney problems, stomach pain, headaches, reproductive deficits, decreased IQ, decreased memory, impaired learning ability and behavioral problems.

Any number of different diseases, however, could cause these symptoms.

The primary cause of lead poisoning in children is toddlers who swallow lead paint chips, or who breathe in dust which is contaminated with lead paint. Lead paint chips occur frequently when a house built before 1978 has peeling or flaking paint. Soil, which is contaminated by leaded gasoline fumes, is a source of lead poisoning among children who play in dirt.

Adults who work in radiator or battery plants, or in construction and who bring their work clothes home, may unknowingly be poisoning their families.

Remedies or cosmetics such as Azarcon, Greta, Pay-loo-ah, and Alkohl or Kohl often contain a lot of lead and can make children very sick.

Families who solder as a hobby, make stained glass, use fishing sinkers, or use bullets are exposed to lead poisoning.

Older, imported or handmade dishes contain lead.

Imported vinyl mini-blinds can cause lead poisoning. When they deteriorate in sunlight, the dust may contain lead, which is inhaled into the lungs.

Many pediatricians do not test young children for lead poisoning. Frequently, these doctors dismiss lead poisoning as something, which is seen only in ``East Coast'' areas, which have ``older housing stock'' than in other states.

Lead paint was banned in 1978, but many houses and apartments still exist which contain lead paint, and this puts many children at risk for lead poisoning. According to the 1990 census, however, 478,208 children lived in Los Angeles County residences built between 1950 and 1979. A total of 220,477 children lived in Los Angeles County residences built before 1950. Studies have shown that children who live in older housing units are at the highest risk for lead poisoning.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control, reasoning that lead poisoning has been decreasing nationwide in recent years, is preparing to discourage pediatricians from testing all children for lead poisoning. Without a simple blood test, however, there is no way to diagnose lead poisoning.

Anyone living in an apartment or house built before 1978 should have themselves and their children who are older than 1 or 2 years, tested for lead poisoning. If you have Medi-Cal or if you are in the Child Health and Disability Program, the test is free. Many health insurance plans will also pay for this test. There are treatments for the disease, although at certain levels, lead is stored permanently in the bones.

Although tenants cannot force landlords to test their apartment for lead poisoning, landlords have a legal responsibility to provide tenants with a safe place to live. If flaking or peeling leaded paint poisons a tenant, the landlord can be held responsible for any physical harm which is done to the renter.

For example, a suit was filed on behalf of a 5-year-old boy living in El Monte against a landlord for lead poisoning, and last year he was awarded $90,000 for counseling and psychotherapy costs and $12,841 for medical expenses.

Federal law requires landlords to disclose to tenants all information they have about lead on their property, including any inspections which may have been done, and they must permit tenants to inspect the property for lead. If the tenant discovers lead on the property within 10 days, he or she can cancel the rental contract. Buyers of pre-1978 property have similar rights.

Families may test their residences for lead poisoning themselves, but the safest way is to have a professional, licensed and trained by the state, test the property. Two kits tested by a consumer's union that did detect lead at low levels are Acc-U-Test, $7, and The Lead Detective, $30. They're good on light paint. On dark paint, try Know Lead, $15, or Leadcheck, $18. The lab used by the Clean Water Lead in Paint kit, $20 without postage, claims to detect lead in low levels. According to consumer reporters, it was reasonably accurate and results came in just over a week.