Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, October 23-29

Posted 13 Octubre 2011 by jwinter & filed under Member News, Newsroom.

Lead-Free Kids for a Healthy Future

Did you know that 1 in 22 children in America have high levels of lead in their blood?  You cannot see, smell, or taste lead.  You may have lead around your home in dust, paint, dirt, water, or food without knowing it is there.  Lead interferes with the normal development of a young child’s brain resulting in lowered IQ, attention disorders, developmental delays and learning disabilities.

There are simple steps you can take to identify and decrease risks to your family:

• Get your child tested.  Children should be tested by age 1 and again at age 2.
• Keep your home clean from dust or dirt that may contain lead.
• Eat right.
• Get the lead out of your drinking water by running the cold water tap until it is very cold before drinking or cooking.
• Reduce any risk from lead paint by removing any loose paint chips.

 Your healthcare provider can test your children for lead poisoning.