Lead poisoning!

Published

For real if one more teacher sends me a kid because they barely stuck themselves with a pencil and tells me they are gonna get lead poisoning if I dont get it out I am going to just get in my car and drive back home. I had one send me a kid who wouldnt let me do anything to it. Barely even marked on his had and so I sent back "wont let me touch it, a bandaid is not needed and wont stick to palm". Two minutes later she comes in with the emergency contact card wanting to call his parents because if he doesnt get that out he could get lead poisoning. Really people lets use our brains. These people are grown adults who I have been taught that pencil lead is graphite not actual lead. I mean I learned that in school, did they not??? And even worse they are teaching little minds of the future society! We are doomed I am afraid. It has felt like a Monday all week! 21 more days...21 more days!

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Put in every mailbox.

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Specializes in School health, pediatrics.

The worst thing about monday all week weeks is that every day then also has the fatigue and longing of a Friday.

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Thanks!

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Specializes in OR, peds, PALS, ICU, camp, school.

OK, lets assume for a moment that at some point (haha) in the history of pencils, they contained lead in the writing core... Do they not know the first thing about how lead poisoning works? What rock do they live under? I'm honestly obnoxious enough that I would put a collection box in my office, addressed to the Flint Water Fund, and make them donate $5 every time they insist on being ignorant.

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One of my principals did this to me with a student. I had stepped out of my office for 2.7 seconds and the kid came in with a very small piece of "lead" under the skin. She freaked out which in turn freaked out the student, I had to call parents, write an accident report and still convince her that the kid will NOT get lead poisoning and die.

Somewhere in the middle of her freak out I said well when I was in 3rd grade I stabbed myself in the leg with my pencil and the tip broke off, you can actually still see it there. But I turned out okay, so this kid will be fine.

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I thought it was bad enough that I have to explain to high school kids that pencil "lead" is not actually lead; but the teachers?? Oh my! That's a whole new can of worms.

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I thought it was bad enough that I have to explain to high school kids that pencil "lead" is not actually lead; but the teachers?? Oh my! That's a whole new can of worms.

Yes! These are people with Master level degrees!

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
Put in every mailbox.

Far, you are more priceless than rubies!!!

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OK, lets assume for a moment that at some point (haha) in the history of pencils, they contained lead in the writing core... Do they not know the first thing about how lead poisoning works? What rock do they live under? I'm honestly obnoxious enough that I would put a collection box in my office, addressed to the Flint Water Fund, and make them donate $5 every time they insist on being ignorant.

Oh. Yeah. Flint.

That place kinda like Puerto Rico that everyone seems to have forgotten about.

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Specializes in School Nurse.

Pencils.com no less

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