The lead article in the city section of today's New York Times is a scare story about the effects of lead on children. "Darien Young was poisoned by lead paint," the subheadline begins. The article says, "Darien was a good baby, she said. He had her wide eyes and Mr. Young's dimples. He rarely got sick, which was why she became worried when he stopped eating and refused to go to bed. His speech seemed slurred. On July 11, she took him to the pediatrician. The next day, the nurse called, frantic, saying that Darien's blood-lead level was 34 micrograms per deciliter. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have set the acceptable lead level at under 10 micrograms, the bar for concern at 20. . . .Children exposed to high levels of lead suffer learning and behavioral problems, stunted growth, hearing loss and hyperactivity. Lead poisoning has been linked to lower I.Q.'s. The damage can be kept from worsening, but is irreversible."
A 3-year-old who "refused to go to bed." Certainly it must be the fault of lead poisoning, because who ever heard of a non-lead-poisoned child refusing to go to bed?
The "frantic" nurse notwithstanding, the Times article doesn't mention that the median lead level for children in Chicago during the 1960s was 30 micrograms per deciliter. Amity Shlaes's articles on this topic in the December 20, 1995, Wall Street Journal provide that fact as well as other scientific and historical context on lead and children that is glaringly absent from today's New York Times article. The point is not that lead is good for children -- it isn't -- but that frantic alarmism isn't good for children, either. Hospital emergency rooms in New York will no doubt be swamped tomorrow with mothers wondering if their children who refuse to go to bed are suffering from lead poisoning.
Other Countries: A graphic in the Education Life section of today's New York Times reports on the "countries of origin" for foreign students studying in America. Under the heading "selected other countries" is listed "Palestinian Authority." The Palestinian Authority is not a country, however.