Nutrition On The Web

Facts About Teens and Alcohol

presented by the

Clintonville Youth Alcohol Task Force

According to a 1995 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey of over 10,000 high school students:

• Over 80% of students had had at least one drink of alcohol during their lifetime.
• Over half had had at least one drink of alcohol in the previous month.

Almost a third had had five or more drinks of alcohol on at least one occasion during the previous month.

• Male students (36%) were significantly more likely than female students (29%) to report episodic heavy drinking.

A recent survey by the National Institute on Drug Abuse shows that:

• Of the 9.5 million current drinkers aged 12-20 years old in 1996, 4.4 million were binge drinkers, including 1.9 million heavy drinkers.
• Between 1996 and 1997, the percentage of 10th graders reporting having been drunk daily in the month prior to the survey increased.

Research done last year at Clintonville Community College shows:

• Three out of four Clintonville high school seniors drive while drunk at least once every two months.
• Over half the traffic fatalities involving teenagers in Clintonville in the past five years have been alcohol-related.

Teen drinking IS a problem in Clintonville.

Find out how you can help stop it.

Contact the Clintonville Youth Alcohol Task Force at 555-1234.

Lead Poisoning: Could It Happen to Your Child?

Facts from the Dash County Extension Service

What is lead?

Lead is a natural metal. Historically, lead was used as a pigment in house paint , an additive to gasoline, and as a pesticide. Now lead is used in certain types of batteries, fishing weights, marine paint, bullets, and in the making of some plastics.

What are the effects of lead poisoning?

Young children are most vulnerable to the toxic effects of lead. Long-term exposure to even low levels of lead can cause irreversible learning difficulties, mental retardation, and delayed neurological and physical development.

What are the symptoms of lead poisoning?

Early symptoms of poisoning may include loss of appetite, fatigue, irritability, anemia, and abdominal pain. Because of the general nature of symptoms at this stage, lead poisoning is often not suspected.

How can you protect your child from lead poisoning?

• Frequently wash hands, pacifiers, and other items that may go in the mouth.
• Flush water from tap for two minutes before drinking.
• Use cold tap water to prepare baby formula.
• Don’t allow children or pets to play in dirt within three feet of the house’s foundation.
• Wipe dust from flat surfaces (counters, tables or floors) with a wet cloth or mop.
• Use a doormat to wipe feet or remove shoes to keep dust out of the house.
• Remove imported vinyl miniblinds from areas frequented by small children.

Where is lead found?

• Paint: Lead was widely used in most interior and exterior oil-based paint prior to 1950. Children are exposed to lead when they eat paint chips or chew paintfaces. Lead-based paint is most dangerous when it is peeling, chipping, chalking, or cracking, or is located on surfaces subject to damage from repeated impacts like door frames.
• Soil and dust: Contaminated soil can show up around the home as a result of peeling, chipping paint or remodeling. Industries like lead ore mining, lead ore milling, smelting, municipal solid waste incinerators, and battery recycling facilities can be sources of contaminated soils.
• Air: Sources of airborne lead include emissions from gasoline combustion, smelters, and battery manufacturers, among others.
• Water: Industrial facilities, urban runoff and atmospheric deposition are sources of lead in the aquatic environment. Lead solder can contaminate drinking water.

Where can I get more information?

For local information, call the Dash County Extension Service at 555-0987

For general information call the National Lead Information Center 1-800-LEAD-FYI

Information provided by the National Lead Information Center.