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Lead Screening

What is Lead Poisoning?

Leading poisoning is caused by exposure to lead. Lead is toxic to the body and can harm brain development in young children. Lead is also dangerous to pregnant women, because it can affect the unborn baby. You can be exposed to lead in several ways. The most common way is through lead paint. Lead paint is common in older homes. Children can eat paint pieces that chip away the walls. Dried or cracking lead paint can cause dust, which settles on the floor, and even on the toys that your children play with. Dust from lead paint can get into the air when you vacuum or sweep. Today, most paint does not contain lead. If you live in a home built before 1960, it may contain some lead paint. It is important to have the paint in your home checked for lead. If you think home has lead paint, talk to your doctor and find out how to check for lead.

Lead poisoning in Florida

Florida ranks 8^th highest in the U.S for the number of children diagnosed with lead poisoning. Many sources contribute to lead poisoning in Florida's children. A common source of childhood lead exposure is household dust contaminated with dust from lead based paint. Florida has an estimated 433,000 homes built before 1950 that are likely to contain lead paint.

What are the causes?

•  Lead paint used in the earlier homes. Check if the paint on your walls is
    lead-based. Look for any areas on the walls where the paint has chipped
    away. Also look for chalky dust on the floor near those areas. Find out if
    lead paint was used in your home.
•  Lead can sometimes be found in soil or around your home, from lead paint
    or gasoline being used outside your home.
•  Lead can be found in old pipes that are corroded. Lead poisoning can be
    caused by water running through corroded pipes and contaminating your
    tap water. If you live in an older home, have your pipes checked for lead.
•  Lead is a lasting hazard that never goes away. Once it gets into the body,
    it stays there. Lead is especially toxic to young brains. Studies suggest that
    just a small amount of lead exposure increase the chances of learning
    problems, or attention deficit disorder.
•  Lead can be found in soil near highways, because of years of car exhaust
    fumes.

Lead is found in:

•  Toys and furniture painted before 1976
•  Painted toys made outside the U.S
•  Holiday decorations made outside the U.S
•  Lead bullets, fishing sinkers, curtain weights
•  Children's paint sets and art supplies (always look at labels)
•  Pewter plates or pitchers
•  Some batteries

What are the signs and symptoms?

Lead is a very strong poison, but it is not easy to diagnose poisoning. At low levels of exposure, the symptoms of lead poisoning can be difficult to recognize. Doing a blood lead test is the only way to confirm lead poisoning. Common signs and symptoms of lead poisoning include:

•  Irritable
•  Frequent headaches
•  Aching muscles
•  Loss of appetite
•  Vomiting
•  Tiredness
•  Anemia

Call your doctor if your child experiences any of these signs or symptoms. You or your doctor may mistake these signs and symptoms for a cold. Ask your doctor to screen your child for lead poisoning. A blood test is the only way to know if your child has lead poisoning. Your doctor will take a small blood sample from your child's finger. This method is commonly used when screening children at the local WIC offices. In Florida, your child's doctor is required to do a blood test for lead as part of a Child Health Check-Up. Early diagnosis of lead poisoning by a blood lead screening, testing and treatment of lead poisoning can reduce the risk of permanent damage to Florida's children.

Who is at risk?

Children (and pregnant women) are most at risk. Children are at risk through hand- to-mouth activity. If there is lead dust in a home, it can settle on children's toys and the floor. If a child puts those toys in their mouth, they can be exposed to lead. If you live in an older house, your children are at a higher risk. Older homes may have lead paint or contaminated soil. Pregnant woman can also be affected. Woman can pass lead on to their unborn baby. If you are pregnant, have your home checked for lead.

How to protect your home:

You can reduce your exposure to lead. Consider the following steps:

•  Get your young children tested for lead, even if they seem healthy
•  Wash children's hands, bottles and toys often
•  Regularly mops floors, and wipe window sills
•  Wipe soil off shoes before entering house
•  Paint walls with peeling or chipping paint

Questions to ask your child's doctor

Ask. . .

	About screening your child your lead risk; beginning at 6 months
	Ask your doctor to test for blood lead at 12 months and 24 months. A blood
	lead test is the only way to measure the amount of lead in the blood
	Ask your doctor to test for blood lead 24 months
	If your child has not been tested between 36 and 72 months old, ask your
	child's doctor to test for lead

DISCLAIMER: The Information on this site is not intended to take the place of your doctor or other healthcare professionals. It is a resource to help you make the best decisions and get the most from the medical services available to you. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of all medical conditions.