Testing for Lead Poisoning Washington State Department of Health
Table of Content
For children and adults with relatively low lead levels, simply avoiding exposure to lead might be enough to reduce blood lead levels. Your child's health care provider may recommend that your child be tested for lead levels during routine check-ups. Lead screening also might be recommended for older children who haven't been tested. In 2013 CMS published guidelines for states interested in transitioning to targeted blood lead screening for Medicare/Medicaid eligible children. A blood test is the best way to determine if a child has been exposed to lead. The amount of lead in blood is referred to as a blood lead level, which is measured in micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (μg/dL).
Children often develop lead poisoning as a result of hand to mouth ingestion. The most dangerous source of lead for children, especially, is lead-based paint, which was often used in homes prior to the 1970s. The Environmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both offer guidance on how to avoid common sources of lead. Before then, lead paint was used inside and outside houses.
Where is lead found?
Lead test swabs may not work as well on porous or irregular surfaces, such as raw stone, metal grating, or painted wicker. Crush the indicated points on the test swab to activate it. Locate the points marked “A” and “B” on the outer tube of the swab and squeeze them forcefully one at a time. This will activate the compounds used to detect lead on the test surface.
Vitamin C can also play a role by helping the body absorb more iron. Rich sources of vitamin C include oranges, pineapples, bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, and cantaloupe. Avoid non-residential sources of lead, such as folk medicine, candies imported from Mexico, recalled toys, or cookware and containers that aren't lead-free.
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If one or more of your children has high blood lead levels, your doctor may call your local health department. Persons from the health department can help by inspecting your home for possible lead exposures and will work with you to reduce the sources. Because of this, most pediatricians will routinely screen young children and infants for possible exposure to lead as part of their general checkups. If the answer is yes or you aren't sure to any of the questions, your healthcare provider will likely want to do more testing to check for elevated blood levels.
You can purchase 3M Lead Check Swabs online and at some hardware stores and home improvement centers. A single package contains enough single-use swabs for multiple tests. It's necessary to re-test light-colored solutions because adding Solution 2 to the test solution can sometimes introduce a slight yellow hue. Remove a paint chip from an out-of-the-way part of your testing surface.
Self-Checks/At-Home Testing
As of January 1, 2014, all newly installed water faucets, fixtures, pipes and fittings must meet new lead-free requirements, which reduces the amount of lead allowed to 0.25%. But that doesn’t apply to existing fixtures, such as what is found in many older homes and public water suppliers. Corrosion is most likely to happen when water has a high acid or low mineral content and sits inside pipes for several hours, says the EPA. While lead in paint was banned in 1978 and in plumbing in 1986, it can persist in older buildings. If you’re not sure whether your home contains this hazard, testing is simpler than you might think.
Keep reading to learn about lead and what to do if you encounter it. Most at-home lead testing kits are designed to change colors when lead is detected. If you're color blind, this may make it difficult to verify the results.
Lead poisoning
Exposure to lead is dangerous, so any control measures are best left to the pros. Many companies will offer free estimates to test your home and take precautions against lead contamination. To mail your soil to a testing lab, or you can check locally to see if soil testing kits are available for free. To help reduce hand-to-mouth transfer of contaminated dust or soil, wash your children's hands after outdoor play, before eating and at bedtime. Household dust can contain lead from lead paint chips or from contaminated soil brought in from outside. There is treatment for lead poisoning, but taking some simple precautions can help protect you and your family from lead exposure before harm is done.
For individuals with high or chronic past exposure, however, BLLs often under-represent the total body burden because most lead is stored in the bone. Individuals can therefore have high body burden of lead with “normal” levels in the blood. All immigrant, refugee, and internationally-adopted children when they arrive in the United States , due to their increased risk, as they may have been exposed to lead in their country of origin. Evidence continues to accrue that commonly encountered blood lead concentrations, even those below 5 μg/dL , impair cognition . There is no identified threshold or safe level of lead in blood . If you live in a large city where water quality is an issue, it may also be possible to order an at-home testing kit from your local water supplier or municipal authority free of charge.
While the effects of lead poisoning may be permanent, if caught early, there are things parents can do [PDF – 234 KB]to prevent further exposure and reduce damage to their child’s health. Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect learning, ability to pay attention, and academic achievement. While the effects of lead exposure may be permanent, if caught early there are things parents can do [PDF – 234 KB]to prevent further exposure and reduce damage to their child’s health.
Lead-contaminated soil is still a major problem around highways and in some urban settings. Make sure your child eats healthy foods that are high in iron, calcium and vitamin C, which help protect against lead poisoning. This lead dust settles on the ground and everything around it. Children can become exposed to lead by putting objects in their mouths or by touching objects containing lead dust and then putting their hands in their mouths. The certified Inspector/Assessor can test your paint with an XRF (x-ray fluorescence) machine, for immediate results.
If your renovation involves removing paint, spritz water on the surface before sanding the area. You may still end up with some dust, so clean the site frequently with disposable cleaning products, and replace them often. It’s important to keep dust out of the rest of your home, so wear coveralls and shoe covers in the renovation area, and launder them separately from your other clothes. As paint flakes chip over time, lead can contaminate the soil around your home.
There are several chelation drugs used to treat lead poisoning. Some are given intravenously and others are given orally . Certain nutrients like iron have been shown to help protect the body against lead by binding with the metal and preventing its absorption. Thankfully, lead poisoning is now rare, especially if you live in a newer home.
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