IDPH will be joining with health care professionals, agencies and their delegates to reduce lead poisoning in children by raising awareness, stressing the importance of testing high-risk children, highlighting partners’ efforts in raising awareness and urging residents to take steps to reduce lead exposure.
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Once a widespread health problem, the number of children poisoned in Maryland has declined by 98 percent since the 1990s, when the state tightened oversight of rental housing built before 1950.
Gov. Larry Hogan said the state has made progress in reducing lead exposure but he believes that in order to put a complete end to lead poisoning, all children must be tested.
Call 608-339-4505 or for more information, or contact the Wisconsin Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at 608-266-5817. The state’s 2015 Target Plan now aims for universal testing to widen the scope of prevention. Rapid testing technology will be used, so that the results can quickly be passed on to parents.
Health officials say the best way to fight it, is by testing children under age six.
Health officials say that a simple test for early detection can prevent possible damage to the health of youngsters. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that at least 4 million households in the USA have children living in them at risk of exposure to toxic lead.
For years, most Maryland children with lead poisoning came from Baltimore rental homes built before 1950, when the city prohibited lead paint. The long-term effects of lead exposure to a child can be severe and may include learning disabilities, decreased growth, behavior problems, impaired hearing, and even brain damage. The strategy will also be revised if need be in three years.
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Deteriorating paint on window sills in older homes can get on children’s hands and be ingested, increasing the likelihood of lead poisoning. Lead is a neurotoxin found in lead-based paint, lead-glazed porcelain, ceramic dishes and plumbing with lead solder.
