Health and Safety Assignment

Question 1 The first statement is correct as lead is a highly intoxicated substance that can cause damage, especially in young children. There are many symptoms to lead poisoning which include: irritability, loss of appetite and nausea, headaches, unexplained abdominal pain, muscle aches, constipation, learning problems, short attention span, easily distracted, mental retardation and behaviour problems including aggression and impulsivity. As seen in the statement “this is disturbing because it has been well established that lead causes reduction in IQ scores, shortened concentration spans, hyperactivity and learning difficulties even when lead is present at very low levels in the blood” , it can be agreed that having lead in one’s system can cause damage to one’s concentration and learning abilities. Research has shown that raised levels of lead can lower a child’s IQ by 4-5%. With regards to the second statement “painted toys with high lead levels have been found in major toy stores, as well as supermarkets, stationary stores, craft shops and craft/flea markets. These toys were both locally produced and imported”, it can be agreed on as lead can be found in many old housing and furniture pieces. It is also of great urgency that when purchasing toys and furniture from garage sales, internet, second-hand-stores etc. that one takes precautions in checking that there is not any lead as some may contain lead based paint, a simple way of knowing if it does is to buy a test kit to determine if lead based paint is present.

Question 2 For a baby and toddler unit I would consider: Indoor: * Non-breakable mirrors to learn to see themselves. * Wooden cars for improving gross motor skills. * Rattles to improve their movement. * Plastic telephones to practise their speech. * Simple puzzles to improve their knowledge. * Large wooden beads to string to improve on their hand eye co-ordination. Outdoor: * Balls to improve on