Last Updated: Saturday, October 27, 2007 11:08 PM CDT
County health department has identified
17 children with elevated lead levels
Wisconsin ranks in the top ten states in the nation for the number of children poisoned by lead. Since 1996 more than 40,000 children in Wisconsin have been identified with lead poisoning; between May and August of 2007 an average of five new cases were identified per day in the state. So far in 2007, the Oneida County Health Department has identified 17 children with elevated lead levels, and two cases of diagnosed lead poisoning.
Lead poisons children and reduces their future potential; it interferes with the normal development of the brain and can result in lower IQ, hearing difficulties, and a greater likelihood of behavioral problems such as aggression and hyperactivity. In addition to these serious effects, lead can cause damage to other organs such as the kidneys, and can also lead to severe complications such as coma, convulsions and death. Research indicates that lead exposure during the first three years of a child's life has the most damaging and long-lasting effects.
“Although it is very important to keep abreast of the many recent product recalls and to remove hazardous products from children immediately, deteriorating lead-based paint in pre-1978 housing remains the source of the majority of lead poisoning cases in children,” reports Sarah Sloan, public health nurse for the Oneida County Health Department. In older homes, especially those built before the 1950s, children may be exposed to lead through contaminated dust or chips from deteriorating paint.
Children with lead poisoning often do not appear to be ill and the only way to determine if your child has been lead poisoned is to have their blood tested. All children under the age of five should be tested for lead. Blood lead testing is available through your health care provider or at the Oneida County Health Department. For more information contact the Oneida County Health Department at 369-6111.
For a list of products recalled for lead hazards, contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission at 1-800-638-2772, or visit the Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/
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