Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is the time to Get the Facts, Get Your Home Tested, Get Your Child Tested. There are many sources of lead, but most often, children under six years old get lead poisoning from breathing in or swallowing dust from old lead paint that gets on floors and windowsills, hands and toys. Despite the continued presence of lead in the environment, lead poisoning is preventable.
It is important to test your home, test your children, and learn how to prevent the serious health effects from lead poisoning. These may include a lower IQ, hearing loss, kidney disease, and growth problems. If you have any concerns, speak to your health care provider or pediatrician about getting your child tested and other resources.
Children can also be exposed to lead from additional sources besides leaded paint. Sometimes the cause can be contaminated spices, toys, costume jewelry, or traditional medicines and practices used by some cultures. Some spices used for cooking have also been recalled due to high levels of lead. Children can also be exposed to lead from additional sources including take-home exposures from a workplace, lead in soil and other play areas, and contaminated drinking water.
Gail Birnbaum, Community Health Nurse at the Tompkins County Health Department notes how children with reported elevated blood levels are monitored. “We help parents identify sources of lead that may have been the cause of lead poisoning and we provide education on prevention and testing.” She also reports that NYS law and regulations require health care providers to test all children’s blood lead levels at ages one and two years. “When there is healthy food in the body, it is more difficult for lead to be absorbed. Families should make sure their diet is rich in important nutrients such as calcium, iron and vitamin C.”
As of October 1, 2019, NYS Public Health Law regarding the action level for lead investigations was changed. The blood lead level (BLL) action number for children was lowered from 10 ug/dL to 5 ug/dL. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are reaching out to parents of children with elevated blood lead levels of 5 ug/dL or higher with a visit from Environmental Health sanitarians to determine the source of the exposure and a virtual visit from our lead poisoning prevention nurse.
For more information on lead poisoning prevention, go to the Tompkins County Health Department website: www.TompkinsCountyNY.gov/health/lead/index
For more information about National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website: https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/national-lead-poisoning-prevention-week.htm
Healthy Neighborhoods Program (HNP) provides information about lead poisoning prevention and can offer free home safety products for lead prevention as well as others household issues. Call 607-274-6702 to schedule a virtual visit and visit the website: https://tompkinscountyny.gov/health/eh/neighborhood
The Tompkins County Health Department is your partner for a healthy community. Find us online at TompkinsCountyNY.gov/health, and follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/TompkinsPublicHealth and on Twitter at @TompkinsHealth.
