arlo 0 #1 April 3, 2006 this is just f-ed up. i just wanted to put this out there because i had no idea that alot of cheap jewelry and stuff was loaded with lead. it definitely raises MY personal awareness level of it. the thought of this poor child dying because he swallowed a charm that came with a pair of sneakers is so very sad... ========================================== Boy Dies After Swallowing Lead-Filled Charm By Peggy Peck, Managing Editor, MedPage Today Reviewed by Rubeen K. Israni, M.D., Fellow, Renal-Electrolyte and Hypertension Division, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine March 31, 2006 Also covered by: Boston Globe, Fort Worth Star Telegram, MSNBC ----------------- MedPage Today Action Points Tell patients who ask that inexpensive metal jewelry may contain dangerously high levels of lead. ---------------------------- Review MINNEAPOLIS, March 31 - The lead-poisoning death of a four-year-old here from swallowing a commercial charm is a grim reminder that the toxic metal is in more than old paint. The little boy swallowed a heart-shaped charm, which testing confirmed consisted of 99.1% lead, according to Kathryn K. Berg, M.D., of the Hennepin County medical examiner's office, who reported details of the case in the March 31 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The finding was consistent with an earlier study from public health officials in Los Angeles who reported that 34% of the Los Angeles Country children younger than six who had lead poisoning had been exposed to lead in objects brought into the home. Furthermore, with the decline in lead hazards in U.S. households, ingestion of lead-containing items has become a common source of life threatening blood lead levels. The fatal charm here, which had "Reebok" engraved on it, was given away with a number of sneaker styles made by Reebok for preschool and grade-school children. The shoes, with names like Disco Queen, Emma Rhinestone and the Glimmer Deluxe, were sold nationwide beginning in May 2004. Reebok, which issued a recall on March 24 for the charms, estimated that 300,000 of them were in circulation. The four-year-old boy, Jarnell Therman Brown, died Feb. 22. The child, who had a history of microcephaly and delayed development, was brought to a hospital pediatric emergency department with a complaint of vomiting. Doctors there diagnosed probable viral gastroenteritis and administered Zofran (ondansetron) and sent home with instructions to parents to monitor fluid intake. He returned two days later with intractable vomiting, poor oral intake, sore "tummy" and listlessness. At that time he was dehydrated, with normal blood sodium but elevated blood urea nitrogen levels. He was admitted to the hospital and IV fluid replacement was initiated. The child's condition deteriorated, and 10 hours after admission he suffered respiratory arrest while being transported to the radiology department. He was resuscitated and placed on mechanical ventilation. Imaging studies included CT of his head and chest and radiographs of his abdomen. The CT revealed diffuse cerebral edema, which was treated with emergent ventriculostomy and decompressive craniotomy. The x-rays revealed a heart-shaped object that was initially mistaken for a radioplaque temperature probe. When additional review correctly identified the object as foreign object in his stomach, testing for heavy metals was requested. The following day a blood lead level of 180 μg/dL -- almost twice the life-threatening level of lead -- was reported. There was no evidence of blood flow to the brain, and the boy met criteria for clinical brain death. On the fourth day of hospitalization life support was removed. The child's mother, who didn't know he had swallowed the charm, said it came with a pair of shoes belonging to a child whose home her son had visited. Following the death, a staff member with the Minneapolis Department of Regulatory Services obtained two similar charms -- one with a pair of shoes purchase at a local shoe store and the second from a pair of shoes purchased from the Reebok website. The charm from the shoe store was 67% lead content by weight while the charm from the shoes purchased online tested at 0.07% by weight. In Atlanta, the CDC obtained four charms from shoes purchased at different outlets. When tested, the lead content of those charms ranged from 0.004% by weight to 0.044% by weight. The variation in lead content, according to the CDC, is "consistent with previous test results for small, inexpensive metallic jewelry." Because it is difficult to identify lead exposure risks based on case reports, the authors concluded that restriction or elimination of nonessential uses of lead in consumer products should be "part of a proactive strategy that prevents exposure to these products." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
littlejohn 0 #2 April 3, 2006 dam that suxdeath before dishonor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
