Can Lead in Water Cause Seizures?

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Porkette

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Hi Folks,

I just recently found out that the school I work at has a high lead level in the water an nobody is to drink any water in the school we are only to wash our hands and that's it. I got the recent lead level reading and one classroom I work in has the highest reading of lead in the classroom (which is a science classroom) and I've been having seizures every now and then after this class. Do you think it could be the lead that is triggering the seizures? Thank you for your time and help. May God Bless You!

Sue
 
Lead is known to affect the central nervous system. The Mayo clinic does not list seizures as a potential consequence of lead poisoning:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lead-poisoning/basics/symptoms/con-20035487

However, I'm not sure if any studies have been done to see if elevated lead exposure could trigger breakthrough seizures in folks who already have seizure disorders.

~~~

NIH says very high levels of lead can cause seizures:

Very high levels of lead may cause vomiting, staggering walk, muscle weakness, seizures, or coma.
Click to expand...

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002473.htm
 
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Hi Bernard,

Thanks for the info. I think this answers why I'm so tired every day no matter how much sleep I get and this of course can lead to seizures if you are to tired. I will be
getting ahold of my Epileptologist to let him know what's going on.
Thank you again and May God Bless You!

Sue
 
That appauling have lead like that.i would refuse work in environment and take it public.Never be allowed in uk.This America you in not third world country porky?
 
Greedy and corrupt governments and government officials mismanage funds and instead of spending on infrastructure improvement to help all people in their cities they spend on pet projects that benefit themselves and their owners/ "uber rich investors"
 
Ah I see it is third world country then..Land of free bit of a laugh if it was not so sad a country run by hypocrites and soon Trump good luck to you all going need it
 
We are a financially bankrupt nation run by morally bankrupt leaders who only desire more money and more power.
 
Cross between third world and banana republic.WHY do Americans put up with it.The op is working in same conditions as third world children who take batteries and computers apart most have lead or Mercury poison and parents who kids here I would be doing serious kick Arse if I was them.If it making op e worse surely that be classed as industrial aswel...porky I know is American but if I did not know I would think she was working in down town Mumbai
 
My guess is that porkettes school is not located in the middle of a burning landfill where children learn math by counting the copper wires they pull from burnt electronic waste, I could be wrong but last time I was in New York it was not 3rd world nation or a shanty town.

The more likely scenario is the town/ city has old plumbing and water lines that have lead in them and need to be updated, it is not like the school kids are fighting off dingoes to save their government cheese.

Government by it's nature is corrupt, all governments.
Only the super rich, or those willing to sell themselves to the super rich, can afford to run for political office in the US.

The kinds of people that seek political office are not the type to be trusted with that much power and the kind of person who you can trust with that much power would never seek it.

Just look at the conmen/ conwomen running for office now, not a single trustworthy one amongst them.

I am sure the American people would vote for a decent politician if and when the universe decides to create one, until that time it is just one ridiculous, corrupt joker after another.
 
Hi Folks,

I live in central NY right by the Finger lakes Cornell University and Ithaca College. They built the school back in 1970-71 on a swampy piece of land and it was just recently they found the lead in the pipes and water probably because they are so old. What burns me up is the school superintendent knew about it for 5 yrs. but never said anything until this yr. Public schools are turning into politics and business they could care less about education and the health of students and staff. I'm sure legal action will be taken by parents and staff very soon. I know today I had a seizure and it wasn't pleasant thanks to the lead in the water. Now I'm seriously thinking about taking legal action against administration since they knew about this matter. I don't want to go after tax payers who aren't at fault it's all the administrators because all the care about is their paycheck and nothing else. Here's wishing you well and May God Bless You!

Sue
 
Great question Porkette. Thanks for asking it, and thanks to those who gave some answers. Me, I personally don't know. I remember when I was a kid back in the 60's. The government was putting Fluoride in the water in NYC. I love the way they use us for testing....."NOT"!
 
Porkette,
Have you had your lead levels checked? It would take a rather large amount of ingested lead to cause acute poisoning, much more than can be absorbed from a single daily exposure to drinking water.

Long term exposure to lead could cause a chronic lead poisoning but you would be experiencing other symptoms of lead poisoning like:

High blood pressure
Abdominal pain
Constipation
Joint pains
Muscle pain
Declines in mental functioning
Pain, numbness or tingling of the extremities
Headache
Memory loss
Mood disorders
Reduced sperm count, abnormal sperm
Miscarriage or premature birth in pregnant women

Just because there is lead in water or even elevated levels of lead (elevated beyond what the EPA deems as safe) does not mean you will get poisoning from consuming some water with elevated lead levels.

Lead is most dangerous to children less so for adults. Depending on the levels in the schools drinking water it could takes many years of large consumption to achieve a toxic level in your body, if the lead levels are insanely high it would take less time to develop symptoms.

There are different types of lead with different rates of absorption and other factors such as the Ph of the water will dictate whether the lead is stable in the pipes or if it leaches from the pipes.

It can be a lot more complicated than a simple there is lead here therefore I am sick from lead.

Everyone alive today has lead in there body, it is in our soil, water, homes, it is still used in many everyday products, pretty much every where we go we are exposed to some, it is better now that we do not burn leaded fuel here, but they still use it in countries we buy our foods from.

Having said all this it is best to limit your exposure as much as you can because lead can make you sick but you should not panic just because it is in the water at school.
Make sure you ask your Dr to get the lab work done on your blood to see if you really are carrying a lot of lead, and if you are you can begin chelation therapy to remove the excess lead.
 
Hi Frink,

Thank you for all of the great information I really appreciate it. I've been having many more seizures and My Epileptologist told me that the level of lead in the water can be
triggering the seizures. I also have been having short term memory problems along with headaches. I called my family Dr. and she is going to order blood tests to be done to check the level of lead along with a complete blood count and drug level check. Thanks again for you support and help I greatly appreciate it. I wish you only the best and May God Bless You!

Sue
 
We had lead most has gone now because it poisen.This where EU got advantages it not allowed.Just surprise me America allows school with same lead as found in open rubbish tip.A very big fuss would made here rightly so if that much lead...parents teachers need take it public and strike
 
One big difference between the 3rd world rubbish pit and the school is in the rubbish pit the kids are actually touching, burning and breathing in the fumes of lead while the children in Porkettes school do not have to drink the water to make money to feed their families.

Many older towns and their water supply lines contain lead as does the plumbing inside some older homes, and when the water companies maintain the water supply properly by controlling the waters Ph/ corrosivity level, the lead does not readily leach into the water.

The big awareness of lead in the water supply happened in 2015 in Flint Michigan when the town switched its water source from the Detroit supply to the Flint river. The river may have been more acidic than the treated Detroit supply but according to this article - http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/15/us/flint-lead-water-michigan.html?_r=0
The primary reason the lead started leaching was Flint water supply had a Fecal Coliform bacteria outbreak and added chlorine to the water but did not add anti corrosives to counteract the chlorine.

Chlorine is a very strong, corrosive oxidizer that will rapidly break down other substances, like lead. Had the water "company" added the anti corrosives to the water the lead would still be "safely" in the pipes.

The town has since switched the water source back to Detroit instead of the Flint river and over time the water quality has improved and lead levels are down but the pipes are being replaced anyway as they should be. http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/19/health/flint-michigan-water-lead-levels-researcher/index.html
The bigger problem will be the homes that have old plumbing with lead in them, the homeowners will have to pay to replace their own plumbing.

Just because your nation, or our nation, has banned the use of lead in many places does not mean you are not exposed to it. Lead is still widely used in consumer products and it is everywhere in our environment because of this and prior wide spread use.

So the same lead found in the rubbish pit is found in the worlds water, soil and air, it is in our food supply, some medicines and folk remedies, electronic consumer goods.

I hate the fact that my favorite treat chocolate contains lead because the countries that grow cocoa still use leaded fuels meaning chocolate contains the more dangerous organic lead not the inorganic lead found in plumbing.

I still eat and enjoy chocolate.
 
And when all of this "lead" plumbing is replaced with the new plastic plumbing (because copper is far too expensive now) how long will it be before we are complaining about the endocrine system disrupting chemicals leaching from the plastic?
 
we put men on moon so bit of piping should not be rocket science.
my sister works for water company in uk she tells me some awful stories in confidence obviously I don't keep it confidential because people got every right to know...She tests domestic water for radiation apparently it can be naturally occurring but as they fishing two headed herrings out North sea you have to wonder and yes I seen two headed fish
 
Hi Folks,
I want you to know I really appreciate all of the info. you have shared along with your support. I found out today (April 13th) that the superintendent of the school is refusing to take care of anything until schools over with in June. He hired a company out of town the check the level of lead in the water but I don't trust them at all. A lot of staff and students are now getting sick with upset stomachs. I have a feeling it's going to end up in a lot of legal lawsuits before the mess is taken care of. Wishing you only the best and May God Bless You!

Sue
 
Just saw tv thing about the Michigan city with lead in their pipes. They put something in the water there that's supposed to coat the pipes and make the lead quit leaching out from the pipes. Who trusts that the coating chemical all stays in the pipes and not come out into the water one is drinking? I wouldn't.

Their problem is people are afraid to use the water much. One lady interviewed said they shower twice/week at most and only use water for washing dishes & laundry. City is thinking of giving them free water for a few weeks so people would actually run the water to coat their pipes. I'm glad I don't live there.

Now this is something I've thought about for a long time. Way before people knew of these dangers, my Dad somehow for some reason got a good size bottle of mercury and we had it in the basement. My sister and I used to go pour out a dollop of it and play with it, roll it around, coat some coins and feel their slipperiness. These days if we got caught doing that, men in hazmat suits would be closing off whole blocks around us!

I've always wondered if this exposure did something to my health. My sister has always been ok.

Porkette, your school needs to take this seriously. Have you been drinking the water at all? Let us know how your tests come out.
 
Porky may not be working in rubbish tip(one has to wonder if lead)but seems got same lead levels as those that do.
Church roofs made of lead but people kept nicking it made lot money out of it.Not saying pop up on roof pinch it but it an idea
 
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