Lead Poisoning Screenings

Lead poisoning can cause serious health problems for young children.  Exposure to residential sources of lead is the most common environmental health hazard to children under six years of age.  People are exposed to some lead every day.  The body does not have use for lead and will discharge the lead from it.  However, children absorb lead more easily and have a much harder time getting rid of the lead out of the body.  The lead can then build up in the body.  When there is too much lead in the body, it is considered lead poisoning.

Children six years old and younger living in homes/buildings built before 1978 are at the greatest risk.  Eating lead paint chips, exposure to dust, old pipes with higher lead content and lead paint are frequent sources of lead poisoning.  Because children like to explore and are very active, exposure to lead in a lead-filled environment can be dangerous.

A child can crawl on the floor and reach windows, walls, railings, or doors.  All of these areas can be sources of peeling and chipping lead-based paint or leaded dust.  Even toys and food that have fallen on the floor can be coated with lead dust.

Symptoms of lead poisoning do not appear until a child is very ill.  Children up to the age of six years should have a blood test done regularly, particularly children who may be at higher risk of exposure to lead. 

Some symptoms of lead poisoning are:

  • No desire to eat food
  • Irritability
  • Constipation
  • Sleeping
  • Loss of recently acquired skills
  • Headache
  • Stomach cramps
  • Drowsiness
  • Lack of energy
  • Trouble sleeping

Long term elevated lead levels in children affect learning, behavior, and growth of the child.  Besides clean up of lead, education around the sources of lead is critical in lead poisoning prevention.

Stearns County Human Services, Public Health Division, plays a key role in reducing the number of elevated lead levels by promoting lead screening at clinics, educating high risk children and families, and providing health services to those with elevated lead levels.  Currently, the Environment Services Department and the Public Health Division of Human Services jointly visit families with elevated lead levels.  The focus of these visits is to identify the source of the lead exposure and to educate the family on how to reduce the child's exposure to lead.  Public Health and Environmental Services follow these families until the lead level drops below the accepted level of <9 ug/dl.

For more information or to request follow up for an elevated lead level by a public health nurse, contact Stearns County Human Services at 320-203-6942.

Help keep your child's lead level low.  Lead screening is an important part of routine child check ups. See your physician or the following web sites for more information:
MDH Lead Program: www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/lead/
CDC Lead Division: www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/lead.htm