ADPH presents "Lead-Free Kids for a Healthy Future"
Alabama parents are advised to have their homes and children tested for lead as the state opbserves National Lead Poisoning Prevetion Week, October 23-29.
Nearly a quarter of a million children living in the United States have blood lead levels high enough to cause significant damage to their health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, based on data from a 2003–2004 national survey. Major sources of lead exposure among U.S. children are lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust found in deteriorating buildings.
Despite the continued presence of lead in the environment, lead poisoning is entirely preventable. “If high blood lead levels are not detected early, children with such high levels of lead in their bodies can suffer from damage to the brain and nervous system,” Dr. Tom Miller, deputy director for medical affairs, Alabama Department of Public Health, said.
