Lead Poisoning Is Preventable

According to the latest Iowa Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention data, only 58% of one-year olds and 44% of two-year olds in Scott County had received a lead test. At minimum, child blood lead tests should be completed at age one and age two.

Many parents do not know that lead poisoning, which is a result of a child ingesting lead, still occurs. While lead paint is no longer used, many homes built before 1978 may still have lead paint. Over 60% of all Iowa homes were built before 1960!

Children can be lead poisoned by:

• Putting dusty or dirty hands, toys, pacifiers, bottles in their mouths (dust in older homes may contain lead from old paint)
• Chewing or eating lead paint chips
• Chewing on a surface painted with lead paint
• Playing in dirt or sandbox near an old building or where one was torn down
• Breathing in dust created from the remodeling of a home where lead paint had been used

Young children, especially children under 6, are more likely to encounter these lead paint hazards since they are very mobile and have a lot of hand-to-mouth action. 

The only way to know if a child has been exposed to lead is to get them tested. Be sure to add a lead test to their back-to-school appointment or get them tested at the health department. Call 563-326-8618 for more information.
Visit https://www.cdc.gov/lead-prevention/prevention/ for more information about lead poisoning prevention and the health effects of lead exposure.