September
1995
Leann and her husband CJ
purchased a 200-year-old home in a historic southeastern Ohio
village. The purchase occurred just months before the Lead
Disclosure in Home Sales was implemented in Ohio - there was no
grandfather clause. They following the instructions on paint cans
and renovation shows while remodeling, none of which alluded to the
presence of lead paint, nor why it would be dangerous.
June
1996
Julian
was born.
December
1996
Leann
receives a hot air gun for Christmas.
January
- April 1997
Removing
layers of paint in the original oak foyer, 6 foot windows, and trim
throughout was proceeding rapidly.
Family members and friends all utilized the hot air gun and
sander to remove the paint, while six-month-old son, Julian, napped in
the adjoining room. After a
few months, the staircase was about half-way finished when Leann and
Chris noticed unusual lethargy in themselves. Not one
person who helped with the paint removal had any idea about lead.
March
1997
The
warning signs jumped out when Leann read Chapter 5 in What to Expect
the First Year where lead hazards and paint are discussed.
Leann approached the family doctor to test her son for lead at the next
check-up. Julian was in the 95 percentiles for his age in height
and weight, borderline anemic, and exhibited no visible signs
(asymptomatic) of lead poisoning - he looked like a normal child.
The doctor dismissed the request from "a paranoid new mother,"
but eventually wrote the script.
April
1997
Julian's
initial venous blood lead levels measured 44 mcg/dl at the
age of ten months, one point away from inpatient IV chelation; his
follow-up was 43. The
invisible yet lethal combination of the lead dust from the sanding and
the lead vapors from the hot air gun contributed entirely to Julian's
exposure.
May
1997 - February 1998
After
the doctor called with the diagnosis, Leann began to address lead
poisoning on multiple fronts, despite her lack of knowledge of lead at
all. Immediately, the
family faced insurance complications through their HMO, the toxicology
lab, and the local board of health, providing ample opportunities for
Julian to fall through the cracks.
The rural health department didn’t document the initial
call, and had no knowledge of a critically ill child for over
2 years after diagnosis. Through the assistance of the Ohio
Department of Health Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program in
Columbus, Leann began researching lead poisoning independently as the
sole caretaker of Julian's recovery.
The
house inspection indicated areas of extreme concern in each room,
interior and exterior. Older wooden windows were immediately
replaced, carpets, couches and any other item that had absorbed lead
dust disposed, despite cost. Of primary concern were the levels of
lead paint in the nursery, rooms he played in, and dust levels
throughout the house. Because there were no lead-safe areas
in the house, Julian spent time with relatives in PA during the initial
"Get the Lead Out" clean-up. Because the family
owned the house, there was no recourse for financial costs, causing
extensive out-of-pocket expense to abate the home into a safe and
appealing environment. Their homeowners threatened to cancel their
insurance policy if they tried to pursue lead paint as a claim to cover
window replacement or professional lead abatement contractors, which was
around $10,000 per room. Instead of declaring bankruptcy,
the couple decided to continue living there and do the work themselves.
Chelation
involved orally-ingested capsules - roughly the same size as a prenatal
vitamin - containing little white 'non-pariel' like-balls, similar to
cookie decorations, only there the resemblance ends. Chemet is a
sulpha-based drug, and makes the old high school chemistry sulphur
experiments smell tasty. A single day's dose was 500 mg - 5
capsules - during the first week. The treatment lasted 26 days and
involved a total of 111 capsules.
Leann
and CJ had worked together as supervisors for America West Airlines in
Columbus, OH; Leann resigned after Julian's birth, while CJ remained.
The employees of America West Port Columbus Airport held a fund-raiser
at the airport to help defray the cost of the first round of Chemet,
which was not covered by the HMO, over $600 out-of-pocket. By
selling Sloppy Joes at the airport, America West CMH raised over $500
dollars toward the first round of medication.
June
1997
Lead
level after 1st chelation dropped to 24 mcg/dl. He started his 2nd
round of oral chelation the day after his 1st birthday. Because it
was mixed in with his baby food jars, he soon despised baby food, and
weaned himself onto 'real' food exclusively. Administering Chemet
to a child is not an easy task.
September
1997
His
lead level rebounded to 25 after the 2nd round of chelation.
November
1997
His
level was 20 mcg/dl.
February
1998
While
lead abatement continued throughout Julian's environment, yet another
hurdle faced the family - the couple learned they were expecting twins. Between
the toxicology lab at Ohio State University Children's Hospital closing
to outpatients, and the HMO refusing to cover any referrals outside
Columbus, Julian was never covered by insurance after 8 months for his
acute lead levels. Leann's lead levels during 1st trimester
<3.
May
1998
His
level was 16.
September
1998
Chrissy
& Carly born. Julian starts suffering from night terrors and
projectile vomiting; lead levels down to 12 mcg/dl.
April
1999
Twins
tested for lead at 7 months for baseline - both are 3 mcg/dl. His
lead level is 7, finally into the 'safe' range.
September
1999
With
two more little ones crawling around, Leann requested another dust
sampling of the house and discovered that despite abatement, there
remained several 'hot spots' throughout the house where lead dust was
tracked inside. Due to the close proximity to the front
door, the foyer after containment yielded dust levels of 6580
mg/square foot in 1999 when the twins were crawling, caused by
exterior dust. Levels over 40 mg/square foot now are
considered dangerous; this area was 164.5 times more toxic
than today's guidelines. These
areas included highly contaminated common areas that the twins crawled
through, and caused elevations of capillary lead levels of 17
and 13 mg/dl by the age of one.
The
soil behind the house tested at 3240 parts per million (ppm),
more than eight times the 400 ppm threshold the EPA considers
contaminated 'play areas' . The extreme levels are attributed
exclusively to the repeated lead paint applied over the years to the
200-year-old house, which has chalked, cracked and weathered into
the surrounding soil. The area became a low-maintenance
flower garden to keep children out of it.
April
2000
Twins levels at 4 and 5
mcg/dl.
July-September
2000
Leann completes a
240-hour graduate internship with the Ohio Department of Health
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.
October
2000
His levels are still 7.
Twins are both at 4 mcg/dl.
May
2001
Twins are both <3
mcg/dl.
September
2001
Kindergarten teacher
advises Leann and Chris that Julian exhibits autism. Teacher was
not familiar with lead poisoning (until then). His extensive
vocabulary is remarkable, even to strangers.
September
2002
1st grade teacher advises
Leann that Julian is autistic. Teacher was not familiar with lead
poisoning (until then). She utilized an egg timer to try and keep
Julian on-task and focused. His reading levels at this time were
well above children his age. Leann substitute taught his 1st grade
class often.
September
2003
Leann advises 2nd grade
teacher that Julian was lead poisoned as a child and worked extensively
with teacher to enhance Julian's education. To help with focusing
issues, Julian was permitted to chew gum in class, amongst other
attempts. Leann substitute taught his 2nd grade class often.
April
2003
Julian selected as
Student of the Month.
June
2003
His level is 4; the twins
are 4 and 5 mcg/dl.
August
2004
Julian tests into the top
5% of his OH 3rd grade class, and is placed in the Talented And Gifted
Program (TAG).
September
2004
Julian completes his
brown belt test-out in Tae Kwon Do, the youngest student in that school.
The family finally moves out of the nightmare of a house that lead
built, from Ohio to New Jersey. All three children's lead levels
before moving were <3, Julian's lowest level ever. He remains
in the top 5% of his NJ 3rd grade class and is placed into the Extended
Learning Program (ELP).
November
2004
Uprooted from the only
surroundings he knew, Julian plummeted with grades after the move.
After weighing the options, he starts taking ADHD medications to help
maintain focus, which improved his grades, yet he lost 20 pounds in 2
months. Medication was the last option. At this stage,
a child study team meeting put everything on the table,
including the possibility of holding him back, which would hinder him
further.
The twins started
Kindergarten together in Ohio, and were granted special exception to
remain together in New Jersey. They both excelled and quickly
became their teacher's favorites.
April
2005
Julian made A-B Honor
Roll the first of several times, and selected as 3rd grade Student of
the Month.
August
2005
Julian spends a couple of
days visiting Mikey, Kristin Joyner's son, in NC. Both boys had
early exposure, and both had extreme difficulties dealing with each
other. It was like seeing two boys communicating between
plastic barrier walls - they couldn't recognize the similarities within
each other. Mikey preferred to watch TV, where Julian spent hours
outside captivated with Kristin's chickens, geese, guinea hens and other
feathered creatures. It was an eye-opening experience for both
moms observing.
Twins start school in
different 1st grade classes, separated for 1st time. Both excel in
their new-found individualism.
November
2005
Child study team found
his issues to be comparable with Nonverbal Learning Disorder.
December
2005
Julian nominated for
National Young Scholars Program.
February
2006
Carly selected as Student
of the Month for 1st grade.
March
2006
Chrissy selected as
Student of the Month for 1st grade.
April
2006
His current lead level is
1.3 - the lowest measured amount ever in his body.
His Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde personality, along with his argumentative
nature, prohibits his peers from becoming friends. Aggressive
tendencies towards pets & sisters echo cause more warnings for those
of us witnessing this behavior progress everyday. He can be the
sweetest child, and other times, he is a stranger filled with
uncontrollable rages; he is big for his age. He also has no
sense of humor.
Twins levels are 1.3 and
2.7, possibly related to costume jewelry and make-up? The twins
are social butterflies and eager to learn - both brought home straight
VG (Very Good) report cards. Their lead levels never were
in the range of Julian's, and the differences between him and his
sisters are scary at times.
