Four of the six public dental clinics
in Dallas are within a two mile radius of
a lead smelter, Denny's here are
collecting teeth from children living
within the affected area to check for
a long term exposure to lead.
Studying teeth may be the best way
to find out how long a child has been
contaminated by lead.
Led collects in layers inside the pop
chamber of the tooth, a process not
unlike the way rings form in a tree
trunk.
The experts can figure out just how much
lead the child has been exposed to, so
teeth samples offer much more information
than blood samples.
When you test blood, you're testing for
the level of lead
that day, the day that you take the
sample with the teeth,
you get a much better idea
of the lead exposure over a long period
of time.
Dennis are not pulling good teeth.
They are only collecting baby teeth and
teeth. It would have to be extracted
anyway because of decay.
Researchers at the Baylor College of
Dentistry will analyze the teeth.
The research team has already studied
nine teeth and has not found levels of
lead any higher than would be considered
normal.
But teeth will continue to be collected
for another 10 to 15 weeks, and
by the time they are analyzed, we will
have a better idea of the scope of the
lead problem in Dallas.
Kevyn Burger, Channel 5 Action News.