Lead & Pregnancy

Dr. Bob Lyon

Chief Medical Director

2/1/2013

Lead screening during pregnancy

Key points:

• ~ 1 out of 100 women of childbearing age have elevated blood lead levels
• Maternal lead exposure during pregnancy can harm you and your baby
• Prenatal lead exposure can put your baby at risk for developmental delay, reduced IQ, and behavioral problems.
• Fetal lead exposure may result in low birth weight or adverse health conditions in adults who were exposed to lead in the womb
• Important risk factors for lead exposure in pregnant women include:

• Recent immigration
• Pica practices (eating things that are not typically food like dirt or clay)
• Occupational exposure (more common ones include construction, smelting and auto repair)
• Overall poor nutrition
• Culturally specific practices such as the use of traditional remedies or imported cosmetics
• Using traditional lead-glazed pottery for cooking and storing food
• Lead-based paint is less likely to be an important exposure source for pregnant women than it is for children, except during renovation or remodeling in older homes (especially if your home was built before 1978 when lead paint sales were banned in the United States)

The full report can be found at:

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/publications/LeadandPregnancy2010.pdf 

Managed Health Services strongly encourages lead testing for you if you are pregnant and have any of these risk factors.  Check with your provider or call us at (888) 713-6180 if you have any questions!