Living with lead: Two young men poisoned as toddlers

They started out in life as two adorable little boys living on the west side of the state. Little did their parents know the lead paint in each of their homes was poisoning both boys back in the late 90s.

Fast forward to the present date and these boys are prime examples of the damage high lead levels can do and the effect it can have on a toddler.

Jerry Burks had an astronomically high lead level of 200 parts per million. David Brightwell was at a very high level of 47.

Both boys have suffered. They both have cognitive impairment.

Jerry’s mother is still his legal guardian at 21 years old. He speaks, but it’s an effort for him. He attends classes for adults with developmental disabilities and holds down a job at a restaurant cleaning and vacuuming.

David Brightwell fared better. He was able to complete high school, but there will be no college. He was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, known as ADHD, Tourette syndrome and Asperger's syndrome. He works with developmentally disabled children.

How will the children exposed in Flint fare?

There really is no hard and fast rule, explained Beaumont pediatrician Dr. Seth Faber.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have an exact number at which we can say kids are in big trouble,” Faber said. “We know that, historically, a level of about 10 starts sounding the alarms but kids have done poorly with levels lower than that and kids have done great with levels much higher than 10.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants all children in Flint under the age of 6 to be tested for lead by April 1.


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