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Childhood Lead Frequently Asked Questions
Tracking Childhood Lead
Who is at highest
risk for lead poisoning?
Young children who put
things in their mouth are at the highest risk for ingesting lead
from their environment. This hand-to-mouth behavior is common
among children ages 9 to 36 months. If there is lead in their
environment, putting toys and other things in their mouths
increases the chance of getting lead into their body.
Since a childs brain
is developing until about the age of two, lead poisoning is
especially harmful during this time. Lead testing programs
recommend testing children at ages 1, 2 and 3 years if they may
have lead in their environment.
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What are the health
effects of lead exposure in children?
Lead is a toxin and at low levels can
result in learning disabilities and lower IQ. When children have very high
levels of lead in their blood (>70 micrograms per deciliter), they can get
encephalopathy, an inflammation of the brain that can result in seizures,
coma and even death. Fortunately, this is rare in the U.S. today. Public
health interventions that have reduced lead in our environment have resulted
in lower levels of lead in blood. However, there is no "safe" level of lead
in children.
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Why
"track" childhood lead poisoning in Florida?
The keys to
preventing lead poisoning in children are to stop them from coming into
contact with lead, and then treat those who have been poisoned by lead. By
tracking children with lead poisoning in Florida, we can:
- Identify areas where
children are at risk
- Provide care and
services to each child with lead poisoning
- Monitor progress
towards ending childhood lead poisoning
- Track sources of lead
- Remove and reduce sources of lead
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What are
the sources of childhood lead poisoning?
The most common source of lead
poisoning for children in the U.S. is lead from house paint. As lead paint
ages, it can deteriorate and mix with dust in the home.
On the outside of the home, lead
paint can deteriorate, fall to the ground and mix with soil near the house.
Lead can be found in paint in
housing built before 1978. Soil near old, metal smelters can have high
levels of lead. Soil near highways and heavily traveled roads can also have
high lead levels.
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How can
lead poisoning be prevented?
Preventing children from ever
being exposed to lead in their environment is the best way to prevent lead
poisoning. Parents should learn about where lead can be found. Parents who
think their child may have been exposed to lead should ask their doctors to
test their childs blood for lead. A blood lead test is the only way to know
for sure whether lead exists in your childs body.
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Where can I go for more information on
Childhood Lead poisoning?
Please see the links
section of our Childhood Lead webpage.
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