Lead Poisoning Prevention in Children
Lead Poisoning Prevention is a subject that I take seriously and one we should all take more seriously as a nation. During my final semester year at Saint Louis University Environmental and Occupational Health Department as a part of my practicum to meet the MPH graduate conditions, I interned with a health clinic in partnership with St. Mary’s Hospital and the City of St. Louis Department of Health, Building Division’s Lead Department and Hazard Control Division. My responsibilities included educating and providing resources to expecting mothers and mothers of infants and toddlers under 6 years about lead-based paint, lead hazards, and the primary and secondary prevention; enrolling the women into the Lead-Poisoning Prevention Program, scheduling inspections of the residence free of charge; and following up on program retention and blood lead-level surveillance data. One of the challenges was persuading the women to enroll in the program to protect their children from lead exposure and the effects on long-term development.
What I discovered was the lack of lead education and awareness in black and brown communities, but when provided with those critical resources from people who genuinely care about lead prevention, it made a difference. The programs success was due to participation, preventive measures to make the residence a hazard-free place and providing resources to help lower a child’s lead level. Working for an environmental consulting company with a lead department has come full circle, and I am passionate about continuing to serve the people in my community through education and prevention.
Here are a few key points about lead:
1. Lead is a naturally occurring metal that can cause negative health effects by eating lead paint chips, ingesting contaminated food or water, and/or by breathing in lead dust.
2. Children younger than 6 years are more likely to be exposed due to their hand-to-mouth behavior.
3. No safe blood lead level (BLL) in children has been identified and even low levels of lead in blood are associated with developmental delays, difficulty learning, and behavioral issues.
4. The effects of lead poisoning can be permanent and disabling.
5. The most important step that parents and caregivers, healthcare providers, and public health professionals can take is to prevent lead exposure before it occurs.
6. CDC uses a blood lead reference value (BLRV) of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) to identify children with BLLs higher than most children’s levels. CDC estimates that approximately 500,000 children in the United States have BLLs at or above the BLRV.
7. Preventing childhood lead exposure is cost-effective.
8. According to an analysis from the Health Impact Project, [PDF – 7.5 MB] eliminating lead hazards from the places where children live, learn, and play could generate approximately $84 billion in long-term benefits per birth cohort.