Document JJZ8NE3RVJKX915pXdN7dr1VO

Narration Script Lead Poisoning The Hidden Epidemic Picture 1. Snapshots of young children from slide pro jector mixed races, ages fc. sexes "An epidemic is loose in our land. These are its victims.- children from 1-6. It attacks hl/vSf. . r<ch -- pmrr-. It kills about 200 a year and brings sickness to half a million but, official figures don't tell the full truth. This is a hidden epidemic. No one really knows how many young lives it has ruined or destroyed. Hen can stop this epidemic, for lead poisoning is a preventable disease, yet it con tinues to kill and cripple our children. 2. Street scenes with children playing - poorer hemes Where do children get lead? From polltxted-air^,. (l *JL irh- Cl ^u - - f-rem sdi-1 where-exhaust fuses--and industrial wastea-have settled.. .--and from lead based paint that can still be found in the old hems* of our countryside... towns... and cities. m our urban centers alone... 30 million In dilapidated dwellings threaten our children with renanents of lead paint. rv l LiA-76362 Picture 3. Ptop at one door.. go in, tp steps and into hone 4. Close ups of ceiling chipp ing, chips on floor cracks in wall, 5. Pan across roan to phone with chewed pencil in front 6. window and outside traffic r. ^ Lead Hazzards lurk in old hates... mostly in the form of paint chips that our yoing can easily reach___chew and swallow - day after day. Chips may fall frcm decaying ceilings onto floors... or they may be picked vp by the child from cracked or damaged wadis... cabinets... pipes and radiators. Lead paint even if it is buried beneath layers of newer paint... may be absorbed by the child who sucks or chews cn a window ledge. Lead has been found in certain pottery... in the paint on some childrens toys and even in the paint on pencils. Exterior paint... ****tac ^ used to cover furniture and other objects inside the house... are extremely high in lead content. Children eat lead... and they inhide it. Lead' fallout- frrtn indnfccLal WMf~P and autO exhaUStfl, in n rprrving djmgpr fr> nil- rhi Idrpn in fha-Wery- fhoy hmat-hn - and pni rospeot color... income,.. or social lovel. LIA-76363 { Picture 7. Ambulance siren driver brinqs emergency to hospital 8. Hospital emergency room Dr. & Nurse 0. children in hospital beds. Tead poisoning doesn't happen overnight. Lead is held in the body -- and builds up there until the child becomes lead sick... and then load poisoned. In this advanced stage... the victim races aqainst tine. Siezed by the sever symptoms - vomiting, coma, convulsions. First the emergency condition will be treated. Later, the lead will be flushed from the body with do-leading injections. Lead poisoning can -ill a ciiild... it can cripple him for life with brain damage___ kidney disease... blindness... cerebral palsy. Yet all of this suffering is unnecessary -- preventable. Why do we allow it? The epidemic of lead poisoning has remained hidden because the symptoms of the disease are all l Inezes to often diagnosed as other conditions. You will only find lead poisoning if you look for it... and hard. Before any severe symtons appears... the lead poisoned child might seem only irritable... listless. He might might have abdominal cramps... or beccme t 4 constipated... or sinply loose his appitite... ( LIA-76364 Picture Children in Hospital 10. Children having fingers stuck for blond test 11. Close-ups of laboratory test and senetimes he may show no synptens at all... even with high level of lead in his body. This is why it is so inportant that we examine and test as many children as possible. It is the cnly way to bring the hidden epidemic into the open. The only way we can find^all of its victims. cr Measuring the level* in the blood is now accepted as the most reliable method for diagnosing lead poisoning. Many cities &oc4, have developed their owrf tests and have started ness screening programs. Crve of the new tests... developed in the Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C. involes only a sinple prick of the finger. It is easy... accurate and inexpensive. With testing such as this... treatment can be started immediately on all children with high blood lead levels, even if those children are syrrpton free... for a child may absorb harmful lead for 3 to 6 months before he shows any signs of illness. LIA-76365 Picture 12. Parent in heme: feeling walls child in playpen mother sweeping up chips putting an acntact paper Early detection by testing and prompt treatment are very inportant... but alone they cannot completely eliminate the hidden epidemic. If testing and treatment are to be effective-- we must a Iso a eliminate the sources of lead poisoning. Parents can help,, even with small tenporary measures. They can examine their hemes for lead hazzards. They can keep children from eating paint chips, isolate children fran dangerous areas with a playpen. Ihey can sweep up loose chips, and if they can't afford to have flaking paint removed... they can cover it with wallboard or such nen-flamable naterials as Contact paper. They can ask their local health center for help. They can demand thet Housing Codes be strictly enforced and most of all... parents can take their children for regular lead blood tests. LIA-76366 Picture 13. Happy children at play in open playgrounds... 14. Many children putting many things in their mouths Freeze on last & to negative inage We are wasting our most precious resource-- our young. We can put men on the moon... shouldn't we be able to save cur children from needless suffering? or the grave? We can wipe out lead poisoning. We need more mass testing and treatment programs. We need laws and finds to improve housing. Wfe need the help of parents and health workers, and the support of local and Federal governments. Young children will always put things in their mouths -- its only natural.... But would anyone let a child chew on a loaded gun? No, that would be MLJFCER. LIA-76367