4 ~ Sunday, September 12, 1993 - North Shore News

Autistic symptoms disappear after treatment gets the lead out

BRETT AND Cameron
Hallaway, 52-year-old
twins, sat quietly on chairs
for more. than two hours
recently and watched the
PNE parade.

By Anna Marie D’Angelo
_ News Reporter.

According to their mother,
Nancy, this was an extraordinary
occurrence because the non-iden-
tical twins used to exhibit bizarre,

adequate, but testing for the
“body burden’? of lead in tissues
was needed to accurately detect
the problem.

The twins also had high levels
of other toxic heavy metais, in-

cluding arsenic and cadmium.

Nancy believes the main source
of the lead poisoning came from
the house plumbing in her former
Lynn Valley home.

Tests taken in April of the
water at the house, located near
Mountain Highway and Lynn
Valley Road, showed lead levels
almost 10 times higher than ac-
ceptable amounts, according to
Nancy. :

64 They have dropped the majority of
their autistic tendencies. 99

unmanageable behavior. such as
chewing the. paint on walls and
_ Intentionally breaking glass.

- Attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder’ (ADHD) and autistic
tendencies were diagnosed in the

children when they were 3% years ,

old.

with a Vancouver doctor who
‘ordered other tests, the boys were

‘found to be suffering from Jead ~

poisoning.
“At. that. time, I was | “quite
- skeptical. Other doctors said that

But through a fluke encounter

maybe this could happen if we.
“lived in Trail or some jplace like i

<that,’’ said Nancy.

Nancy ‘said: the twits? behavior

changed dramatically’ during and

'.. after. five rounds of chelation

therapy for lead rerioval.. 6 |

. “Before they couldn't . sit. ;still
for’ 10 ‘seconds. /They have. drop-
“ped the majority of their autistic

“ tendencies. ‘They. are not “hyperac-

tive .and -not attention deficit,”’
“said Nancy,-34, who, worked as a
“. yegistered nurse. —_,... i
“When «the
tested, their body. tissues had three
times the acceptable Jevel for iead.
Nancy stressed that- usual ran-
dom ‘blood tests for lead were: in-

twins were first.

‘

— Nancy Hallaway

The. twins’ 6%-year-old sister
also had .a-high lead count, but
she did not display the same kind
of behavior as her brothers.

North Shore Health medical

health officer Dr. Brian O’Connor
said he has not received any writ-
ten information from Nancy about
the situation.
-‘Q’Connor said she called him in
mid-July, but he has not received
anything that the health agency
can investigate or study.

“1 don’t believe or am aware

that we have any problem with
lead in our water,”’ said O’Con-
nor.
. But he said if acidic drinking
water is left standing a long time
in house pipes, the lead level in
that water may be high.

“It would still be very difficult
for me to ascribe it to that

_ because you would have to be

drinking large volumes of standing
water,” said'‘O’Connor.

He said North Shore Health was
not ignoring or ‘stonewalling the
lead claims, but the health agency
required more information before
initiating an investigation.

“Lead is not something to be

- ignored... Lead, | particularly in

‘children who are developing, can

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be a significant problem,” said
O'Connor. .

Meanwhile, since ‘‘deleading”’
the twins using a chelating agent
called cuprimine, Nancy said the
boys no fonger need any of the
medication that was used to con-
trol their behavior problems.

Those medications included
ritalin, clonidine and anafranil,

Nancy credits Dr. Zigurts
Strauts, a physician interested in
the toxic effects of heavy metals,
with the boys’ progress.

Nancy went to Strauts last year |

for assessment and treatment after
she was injured in a car accident.

The doctor took an interest in.
the twins because it was unusual ;
for ADHD and autistic tendencies

to be diagnosed in both non-iden-
tical (fraternal) twins.

Nancy said she knows and
suspects other North Shore
children are experiencing the ef-
fects of toxic lead in their system,
but she does not want to alarm
parents,

‘YT think it’s really important
that other kids be checked if there
is no particular reason for their
language delays or ‘severe behavior
disorders,’’ said Nancy.

From her experience, Nancy
urges families to install water
purifying-systems in their homes.

She said people should be aware
of sources of lead such as living
close to gas stations and busy
roads that used to be contaminated
with leaded gas emissions.

“T's important to. know that
this is not a focal problem,’’
Nancy said. ‘“‘It’s a worldwide
problem that affects young

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EATON'S

NOTICE TO MOTORISTS
LIONS GATE BRIDGE —
FULL BRIDGE CLOSURES

‘The Ministry ol Transportation and Highways advises that there will be a full closure of the
Lions Gate Bridge on Tuesday, September 14 and Wednesday, September 15. The bridge
closure is needed to complete the repaving of the viaduct at the north end of the bridge and

‘will be in effect as follows:

Tuesday, September 14 &
Wednesday, September 15

11:00 PM - 5:00 AM

Motorists are advised to use an alternative route during the bridge closure: For further
information, please call the Ministry's 24-hour road report at 525-4997 (Greater Vancouver)
or *4997 (BC Cellular and Cantel customers).

Province of
British Cotumbia

Ministry of Transportation

and Highways

children most.”’

Nancy has written a book about
her family’s experience and is
currently negotiating a contract
with a book publisher.

She said her children have
finished their deleading process.

Said Nancy, ‘*'We know what
we are dealing with now. We are
heading on to bigger and better
things.’

Anyone with inquiries about
lead poisoning should contact
North Shore Health at 983-6700.

The Bi

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