'I couldn't understand why my kids kept getting ill - then my son done horrifying act'

A mum who was left baffled when her son began "peeling paper off the wall to eat it" - realised that it was an effect from his mystery illness, which had saw him get continuously ill and "craving" a certain chemical.

Joanne Skinner, 39, from Falkirk, , began battling for answers when both of her son's Blake, 5, and Kaleb, 4, were suddenly sick all of the time. She says they first dropped ill after a new heating system was installed at their council home in 2022.

The mum-of-two had noticed that her kids had become constantly tired and witnessed changes in their behaviour. She claims that the was "slowly killing" her children after a series of tests revealed their house was riddled with a toxic chemical.

Following months of appointments trying to get to the bottom of their poor health, a chance test revealed that Kaleb had extremely high levels of lead in his bloodstream. Doctors then tested Blake, who was found to have even higher levels of the chemical, confirmed in medical records.

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Public Health Scotland and Forth Valley advised Falkirk Council to investigate the source of the lead after expressed environmental concerns. It found the home was riddled with lead, with the family being exposed to old paint throughout the home, contaminated water, and soil in the garden, .

Things had become so bad, that her son started to take paper off the walls and eat it. It's believed the installation of the heating system reactivated the lead, which had been sitting dormant in old paint over the walls, which was frequently used in homes built before the 70s.

Single mum Joanne said: "I knew something just wasn't right. The kids were constantly unwell, very lethargic and didn't have much of an appetite. I was panicking because I just did not know what was going on and what was killing my children. I was living on the edge. Little did I know it was my house.

"It was my paediatrician that listened to my concerns and took a test to see if there was anything underlying. They immediately contacted Falkirk Council when they were alarmed by the results and asked for an environmental investigation.

"But it took for Blake's results to show the same thing for us to be moved out and into temporary accommodation. The doctor said they’d never seen levels like it in children in their career."

The World Health Organisation states that high levels of lead in the blood can lead to death in extreme circumstances with exposure affecting multiple body systems. The NHS states that it's particularly dangerous for young children who are at increased risk, causing serious health problems and developmental delays.

Blake and Kaleb have both been diagnosed with autism and are non-verbal. They are also affected by many of the symptoms of lead poisoning, including fatigue, loss of appetite and vomiting.

The family moved into temporary housing in October 2023 while decontamination work, expected to take 12 weeks, was carried out at their home. But Joanne said it has still not been completed.

Medical notes for both of the young boys detail how their behaviour has improved along with their general wellbeing since moving out of Roughlands Crescent.

Joanne continued: "We've been living elsewhere for 18 months and they still haven't completed the work at our house, but the thought of going back there is terrifying me after it made my children so unwell.

"You can actually become addicted to lead and in one worrying incident I found Kaleb peeling paper off the wall to eat it. It seemed like his body was craving it. It was horrendous.

"They've had to be treated with a high dose of liquid iron and they're still being regularly tested."

Public Health Scotland confirmed they provided advice to an Incident Management Team for this case but were unable to comment further.

An NHS Forth Valley spokesperson added: "We can confirm we work closely with a number of agencies including local authorities, and relevant national agencies if required, to carry out investigations into possible exposure to a wide range of potentially harmful substances.

"However, in many cases, identifying the source of possible exposure can be difficult and is often inconclusive."

Falkirk Council declined to comment on the presence of lead in the property but addressed the long wait for repairs to the property. A Falkirk Council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that repairs have not been completed within the anticipated timeframe and apologise to our tenant for the delay.

“The expectation is that work will be complete by 9th May 2025 and we will notify our tenant of this timeframe. We will also provide the tenant with details of the work completed prior to their return to the property. It is not appropriate for Falkirk Council, as landlord, to provide any further comment at present.”