Each year, we join the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other partners to promote awareness of lead poisoning. Our Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program got a head start on National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week by spending a morning at Phoenix Children’s Hospital speaking to clinicians last week. The purpose was to educate clinicians about lead poisoning issues in Arizona and the need for continued blood lead testing.
Childhood lead poisoning is considered the most preventable environmental disease among young children. Children with elevated blood lead levels can experience slowed development, reading or learning problems, behavior problems, and even hearing loss. All children should be evaluated for risk of lead exposure at 12 and 24 months of age. Children living in high-risk neighborhoods should receive a blood lead test by their health care provider. We’ve developed a lead risk map to help families and pediatricians determine whether a child lives in one of those high-risk areas.
Each day of Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, we will share information on a specific topic related to childhood lead poisoning, via Facebook and Twitter. Follow the campaign on social media by using the hashtags #LeadFreeKids and #NLPPW2019.
Together, let’s make a lead-free Arizona.
