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(a) Possible sources of lead which were all investigated
included materials in the house and also in the immediate
environment, i.e., a builders yard where the child played daily
and almost exclusively. These were:-
(i) Water supply.
(ii) Paint on doors, windows, etc.
(iii) Paint on cot, toys, etc.
(iv) Lead pencils.
(v) Cooking utensils.
(vi) Contents of several paint tins discarded
on a builders dump in the yard.
(vii) Analysis ox dust and rubble from the sides
and from the bottom of the dump.
Reports received on the water supply were completely satisfactory.
Paint on toys, cots, etc. did not contain lead. The
children had no lead pencils and there were no utensils with lead
content.
Item (ii). The paint on doors and windows was peeling, and scrapings
contained old primer with a high lead content. There were, however,
no tooth marks or signs anywhere on the woodwork to indicate that
a child had habitually nibbled the paintwork, and the parents had
not observed such a habit in any of the children.
Item (vi). Two of the paint tins had a high lead content.
Item (vii). The dust and rubble from the builders dump also contained
a high percentage of lead,
Enquiries were made as to any paint spraying processes carried
out in the yard but no lead-containing paint had ever been used
in such a process and there had been no paint spraying of any sort
during the previous year.
(b). (i) The family affected lived in a first floor
flat and comprised parents, 4 children aged 8 months, 2, 3 and
4, and also a half brother aged 9 who lived near and was in
daily association with the family.
(ii) Two children aged 2 and 4 who played regularly with this family.
(iii) In the flat below, the family consisted of parents and 4
children aged 8 months, 3, 5 and 6 years and a daily foster child
aged 2.
(iv) In view of the findings at the builders yard, all local
General Practitioners were notified and home visits were made by
the Health Visitors to all neighbouring families in which children
possibly used the yard for play, As a result 16 further children
were investigated although none had played regularly in the yard.
The outcome of all these investigations showed evidence of
lead poisoning in:-
(i) 4 children and 1 adult (the mother),
(ii) 2 children.
(iii) 5 children.
(iv) 1 child.
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