Freddie Gray, Lead Poisoning as a Child Lead to a Life of Chaos, Violence and an Early Death

Freddie Gray, the young man who died in police custody in Baltimore, had serious issues with lead poisoning. As a child, he lived in an apartment where paint was peeling from nearly every wall and window sill. There were always piles of paint chips on the floor that his mother continually tried to sweep up.

In 2008, the family won a judgement against the owner of the apartment building he grew up in because of the unprecedented exposure to lead. Freddie and his family were living off of the judgement at the time of his death.

How do we know that Freddie suffered from lead poisoning? It is all documented in the lawsuit.

Freddie has his blood checked for lead 3 times before he was 2 years old. At 22 months of age, his blood lead level (BLL) was at 37 micrograms. That level is more than 7 times the amount recommended by the CDC for children and nearly 4 times the amount recommended for an adult. 

Since it is documented that lead poisoning in children contributes to or causes; learning disabilities, anger management issues, physical complications and social problems, it is no wonder that Freddie Gray had been arrested over a dozen times and spent 2 years in prison by age 25.

The body treats lead, like calcium, depositing it in the same places the body uses calcium; primarily the nervous system and the bone structure. It is possible that the acute lead poisoning left his bones compromised and made him primed for a broken neck from the scuffle with the police, something that would likely not have occurred in someone without lead poisoning.

Lead poisoning is by no means justification for Freddie Gray's negative behavior, but it is a warning shot across the bow of society of the social and emotional cost of lead poisoning in our young people. Ever more reason to have children checked, homes renovated and lead out of our bodies.