Lead Exposure on the Rise Despite Decline in Poisoning Cases
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lead-exposure-on-the-rise/
By: Mark Fischetti
February 17, 2013
Environmental Science: Lead
February 17, 2013
Environmental Science: Lead
Summary: This article is about how there has been a decline in lead poisoning. Although the levels were higher than we thought. It's high because lead is still in drinking water in many communities. The lead comes from lead pipes, brass fittings or solder used in plumbing. Another 25,000 to 30,000 tons of lead enters the U.S. environment each year from hunting and shooting-range ammunition, fishing-line weights, discarded batteries and electronic waste.The price is high also, since it is costing the U.S $209 billion a year, including direct medical costs. Lead is also increasingly implicated in dementia in the elderly. Lead is still prevalent in our environment for many reasons. Because lead does not degrade, heavy emissions from the past accumulate in soil. Many steps can be taken nationwide to further reduce lead levels. Tougher emissions laws can be imposed. For years, U.S. regulators have focused primarily on reducing lead poisoning, and have succeeded.
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Reflection: After reading this article I'm glad that there has been a decline in lead poisoning, but scared that lead itself, is still available. The U.S. has done its best to remove lead exposure from paint and gasoline, but they haven't removed it in other places. One of the main reasons that people are still exposed to lead, is because it's in the water. What we should do is remove the lead in the pipes is some communities. We should also stop China to stop using lead also because, they can easily transport lead out to many countries. I say that if we ban something, we should ban it for good, not just partly good. The fact that about 30,000 tons of leads gets into the U.S. every year from hunting doesn't make the situation any better, it makes people like me scared.What should start happening, is for more laws and regulations to be created to prevent the exposure of lead as of now, to protect ourselves in the future.
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