Lead used to be very common in everyday products in the United States; things like paint, gasoline, jewelry, and toys all contained lead — and occasionally still do. However, lead can be toxic to humans, causing harmful health effects — especially among children. Today, many of these items are no longer manufactured using lead, but lead poisoning remains an issue for children across the country.
Lead is a naturally occurring element that is found in small amounts in the earth’s crust. Lead was used to enhance the durability and appearance of products, and in the case of gasoline, to improve engine performance. Although many consumer products no longer contain lead, it can still be found in many places — the air, the soil, the water, and even inside people’s homes. Lead can enter the environment from current, or past uses of the element.
One of the most common ways children are exposed to lead is through lead-based paint, which was used in many homes built before 1978. Children can also become exposed to lead dust from adults’ jobs or hobbies and from some metal toys or toys painted with lead-based paint. Children and babies can be more highly exposed to lead because they often put their hands or other items in their mouth, potentially exposing their body and brain directly to lead. Children can also get lead into their bodies by breathing in lead dust (especially during activities such as renovations, repairs, or painting) or by swallowing lead dust that settles in food, food preparation surfaces, floors, window sills, eating paint chips, soil that contains lead, or other places.
There is no safe level of lead, even small amounts of lead can impact a person’s health. Lead can impact almost every organ and system in a person’s body. Lead poisoning in children can lead to brain and nervous system damage, behavior and learning issues, slowed growth, hearing problems, anemia and other health problems. Additionally, lead can accumulate in a person’s body over time and cause issues later on, and lead exposure as an adult can also be harmful to a person’s health.
The best way to determine if a child has been exposed to lead is a blood test. Most children with lead in their blood have no obvious symptoms, so it’s important to test. Parents can consult with their child’s pediatrician to learn more about routine blood lead level testing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many children missed important blood lead level screening. A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report showed the number of Wisconsin children tested for elevated blood lead levels went down by 75% in April 2020, compared to April 2019.
It is especially important for kids who are at higher risk for lead exposure to get their blood lead level tested. This includes children who live in or visit a house built before 1950 (including child care facilities and homes of friends or relatives), children who live in or visit a house or building built before 1978 with recent or ongoing renovations (including child care facilities and homes of friends or relatives), children who have a sibling or playmate with lead poisoning and children who are on Medicaid or the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.
Lead poisoning is entirely preventable. The goal is to prevent lead exposure to children before they are harmed. There are many ways parents can reduce a child’s exposure to lead, the key is to identify lead hazards in a child’s environment and control or safely remove them.
Green County Public Health works with the families of children with elevated blood lead levels to attempt to eliminate the source of lead and provide resources and education to prevent further exposure. Our department also works with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ Lead-Safe Homes Program (LSHP), which assists eligible families with making home repairs to make their house a healthier place to live. To learn more about the LSHP, who is eligible and how to apply, visit the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ website: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/lead/lshp.htm or call Green County Public Health at (608) 328-9390.
Community members can learn more about lead, and its negative health impacts on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website: https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/default.htm.
— Bridget (Craker) Zimmerman is the Public Health Educator for the Green County Public Health Department and can be reached at bzimmerman@greengountywi.org or 608-328-9509.
