Specialists in toxicology carry out the first study of the lead poisoning level in the Republic of Moldova. Elena Jardan, head of the Experimental Toxicology Lab of the National Public Health Center in a news conference at IPN said the study is designed to determine the general exposure of the population to contamination and poisoning with lead.
According to the specialist, the paint that contains lead is the main source of exposure. Lead compounds can be also found in jewels, toys and stationery and even in drugs or cosmetic products. Neither the water supplied through the old water supply system is safe given that the old pipes were built with materials that contained lead.
In case of lead poisoning, the toxins can be eliminated from the body in ten days. If the poisoning is chronic, which is exposure to the source of lead was prolonged, even 20 years could be needed to remove all the toxins. “Even if global statistics show hundreds of cases of death or thousands of cases of lead poisoning, this is not a reason for panic. In Moldova, there is no severe exposure to lead. Lead can be found in soil, toys and other objects, but this is not a reason for going immediately to the doctor,” stated Elena Jardan.
The national health facilities do not possess medical equipment needed to determine blood lead level. The blood samples collected during the study were set to Bucharest for examination.
To avoid exposure to sources of lead, specialists recommend reading attentively the labels of products, especially of toys and, choosing water- or oil-based paint when doing repair works as solvent-based paints are more dangerous. These contain higher levels of lead that is added to increase resistance or make the paint shine.
