Lead poisoning

taranjs

My report https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/j8A7AWB-JUke_m9UihoL9665WSWUNtSe-jpoTT7KWV5UsUH0jNaNbiobkvBbherTTdmP5xPjc8Zn-g=w1845-h350-no

My wife's https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/I9RONdPbB089MK5xO-veLoFsl8Ux-lmud6jS2EdL1kqA5elZjcr7E1vMcIwONjKrIQxtVbtWHJCpWQ=w1846-h425-no

hollydays

On Severn trents' website they offer to come and test water . Did they not make this offer to you?

Silver-Surfer_2

taranjs wrote: »

My report https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/j8A7AWB-JUke_m9UihoL9665WSWUNtSe-jpoTT7KWV5UsUH0jNaNbiobkvBbherTTdmP5xPjc8Zn-g=w1845-h350-no

My wife's https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/I9RONdPbB089MK5xO-veLoFsl8Ux-lmud6jS2EdL1kqA5elZjcr7E1vMcIwONjKrIQxtVbtWHJCpWQ=w1846-h425-no

Where was your test done?
Strange that your doctor or hospital would refer to you as an employee.

paddyrg

Apparently you're not fit to work (in which industry?), but the blood lead level is not a constant, permanent thing and will reduce - probably quite rapidly. It's only slightly outside of the range stated, and there's no indication what that range relates to. Many lead workers will have dramatically higher numbers, for instance.

May be better to ask your doctor about the medical implications, but irreperable damage may be without evidence. Certainly ambient lead levels were routinely much higher well within living memory, and not everyone over 40 is drooling and brain damaged. In fact your figures appear to be significantly lower than many countries general populations, so it's worth letting those fears go.

More susceptible is the child, and I'm surprised your GP didn't get their results at the same time as your own, as they're genuinely better off without lead.

Keep_pedalling

There are still lots of lead piping around, but that is not usually a problem unless the water flowing through them contains a contaminate that causes that lead to leach into the drinking water as has been happening in Flint in the USA.

Discoloured water is usually the result of corroded iron pipes, so changing out lead pipes will not get rid of that.

Our 1930s house has lead pipes, but we also live in a very hard water area, so we are not worried that lead is an issue with our drinking water.

Did you actually get the water tested for lead content before the pipe was fixed? There are other possible sources of lead poisoning, but without any test results you can't say for definite it was the water.

PS your second link seems to be broken.

taranjs

On Severn trents' website they offer to come and test water . Did they not make this offer to you?

They did but they tested for chlorine, and other things. Not lead until I escalated.

taranjs

And yes it's funny that the reports mention me as an employee, even I am not sure why. These were done at my local surgery in East Leicester.

@paddyrg - It's interesting you call the lead level slightly outside the range, whereas I consider it the other side of the spectrum. I agree I might be over frenzied about this but it's because of the potential impact on my 3 year old. We suggested the doctor to test the kid first of all but he didn't agree saying that we should avoid the needle as long as it's not necessary until after seeing the parents' level. His results are awaited.

In fact your figures appear to be significantly lower than many countries general populations, so it's worth letting those fears go.

Can you point me to wherever I can confirm this? I would love to shed the fear.

@Keep pedalling

Did you actually get the water tested for lead content before the pipe was fixed? There are other possible sources of lead poisoning, but without any test results you can't say for definite it was the water.

Yes, it was tested right before and after and it was definitely the pipes.

wealdroam

taranjs wrote: »

@wealdroam - Thanks! Do you have pointers where to start with? I just wanted to gauge whether what happened to me is quite normal to happen to people living in houses built before 1970 or is it really considered serious by other people, like I do.

Just watch the television any weekday afternoon and pick any one of the no win no fee lawyers.

paddyrg

taranjs wrote: »

Can you point me to wherever I can confirm this? I would love to shed the fear.

Hiya, http://patient.info/doctor/lead-poisoning-pro might be helpful

Laboratory tests
Whole blood lead levels:
<10 μg/dL - normal in adults, no lower limit in children.
>45 μg/dL - GI symptoms in adults and children.
>70 μg/dL - high risk of acute CNS symptoms.
>100 μg/dL - may be life-threatening.

The results you have are in micromols per litre umol/L, to convert (crudely) you take the ug/dl figure, knock off a zero, and halve it, so 5 ug/dl is 0.24 umolL. Your test said 3.5umol/L, which is certainly high (~70ug/dl range), so hopefully by removing the source it can settle quickly, maybe with help from oral chelators. However in any case, if your GP isn't alarmed, you should take their lead - they have more information than we will have. In adults, the lead ends up harmlessly locked away, less so for the nipper, who is the principal concern.

hollydays

taranjs wrote: »

They did but they tested for chlorine, and other things. Not lead until I escalated.

Why didn't they test for lead?