According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about
500,000 U.S. children ages 1 to 5 have lead levels greater than 5 micrograms
per deciliter (?g/dL) of blood.
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Problems that can be attributed to even a small amount of lead in the blood in
children include permanent damage to the brain and nervous system, behavior and
learning problems, lower IQ, hearing problems, slowed growth, and
anemia.
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To help raise awareness of the importance of lead screenings, IBC is educating
the parents and guardians of children ages 2 and older for whom there is no
record of a lead screening. Parents will receive information in the mail
regarding the importance of lead screening and lead safety, and they will be
encouraged to discuss screening and education with their child's health care
provider.
Lead screening recommendations
The CDC has updated its recommendations on children's blood lead levels and
recommends that health care providers try to prevent the occurrence of blood
lead levels of 5 ?g/dL and above instead of 10 ?g/dL and above in children
by:
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screening children younger than age 6, preferably by ages 1 and 2, if they have
not yet been tested;
screening children and their family members who have been exposed to high
levels of lead;
screening children who should be tested under their state and local health
screening plan.
The new blood lead level value means that more children will likely be
identified as having lead exposure — allowing parents, doctors, public
health officials, and communities to take action earlier to reduce the child's
future exposure to lead. The new recommendation does not change the guidance
that chelation therapy be considered when a child has a blood lead level
greater than or equal to 45 ?g/dL.
What your practice can do
Physicians can try to prevent lead poisoning in children by doing the following:
Discuss recommendations for lead screening, safety, and prevention with the
parents/guardians of your pediatric patients.
Screen children starting at age 12 months and again at 24 months.
Talk about additional follow-up screening with parents and guardians.
Resources
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is October 20-26, 2013. The following
resources may assist you and your staff in effectively educating parents and
guardians regarding the importance of lead screening:
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week Campaign Toolkit. This toolkit
was developed by the CDC, along with the EPA and the Department of Housing and
Urban Development, to encourage information-sharing, collaboration, and
promotion of lead poisoning prevention activities. To download the toolkit,
please visit
www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/nlppw.htm.
Philadelphia Department of Public Health. 215-685-2788 (Philadelphia residents)
National Lead Information Center. 1-800-424-LEAD (non-Philadelphia residents)
Additional resources on patient management can be found on our
Resources for Patient
Management web page.