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Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program

Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
The Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services (HHVS) provides case management services for children aged 6 months to 6 years old with an elevated blood lead level at or above 3.5 µg/dL (micrograms per deciliter).
This program is designed to assist parents to lower the child's blood lead level by helping to determine the sources of lead exposure. In addition, the program, through its lead nurse case manager, provides education on nutrition and health with supplemental referrals for other programs to assist care givers.Staff
The lead nurse case manager works closely with providers, families and caregivers who have an existing or suspected lead poisoning to help resolve the health concern.
Through the lead outreach coordinator, this program also offers education and outreach for communities and providers focusing on prevention.
This program offers education and resources to families and providers regarding lead exposure and poisoning issues.
The CLPPP program offers home visitation, environmental home inspections, and nutritional assessments to families of children found to be lead poisoned.Healthcare providers enter the child's lead test results in the Michigan Department of Community Health, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program's database. From the results recorded on this database, Wayne County HHVS notifies parents and informing them if their child has an elevated blood lead level of at or above 3.5 µg/dL. It is recommended this blood lead level get verified with a venous test. A confirmatory test on venous samples should be completed for those with an elevated test result on a capillary sample. Confirmatory tests should be completed as soon as possible.
The Wayne County HHVS, through its Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP), offers case management services that include an environmental health investigation and education for parents of children with blood levels at or above 3.5 µg/dL until blood levels are below 3.5 µg/dL. The purpose of the case management services is to identify and secure abatement of lead hazard sources and provide educational information regarding risk reduction for lead poisoning. A home visit is scheduled to evaluate the lead hazards in to educate parents/guardians of children 6 months through 6 years of age about the physiological risk of lead poisoning to the child, how to protect the child from further exposure and how to reduce the risks of lead absorption. In collaboration with the medical provider, to monitor the child's blood lead level (BLL) until it returns to <3.5 µg/dL for 2 consecutive test results. Initiate referral for environmental investigation and abatement.
The lead case management services are geared toward efforts to lower the child's BLL. These services include:
- Conducting home visits to children with very high blood lead levels
- Complete a child/family assessment (physical, psychosocial, and environmental)
- Conduct environmental home inspections to identify and test for possible lead sources in and around the home such as paint, soil, and dust
- Ensuring that unconfirmed elevated blood lead capillary test results are followed up with confirmatory venous tests
- Provide health education, monitor lead levels, and encourage medical follow-up
- Provide a plan of care and make recommendations to minimize risk of lead contact with lead, to include referrals to the LeadSafe program
- Follow up to verify that sources of lead are corrected
- Send lead retest or overdue letters to parents
The Region 10 Lead Education and Outreach Program
The best way to combat lead poisoning is through prevention.
The lead education and outreach program seeks to provide knowledge and tools to parents, caregivers, health care workers, and people who work with families and children on how to keep the children they care for safe from lead. This program emphasizes getting your child's blood tested for lead and discussing the results with a health care professional.
We attend community events and other public venues to teach how to proactively prevent childhood lead poisoning throughout region 10. Region 10 is the counties of Wayne, Macomb and Oakland along with the city of Detroit.
If you have questions about lead education or are a professional looking to schedule a lead education event you can contact the education outreach leader for Region 10 at (734) 727-5688.
Environmental
- Paint: Lead was used in house paint until it was banned in 1978. Dust and paint chips can be generated whenever it deteriorates or is scraped or sanded.
- Soil: Leaded gasoline for general use was discontinued in 1996. Lead can be found in high concentrations in the soil near large volume roadways due to leaded gasoline emission. Lead-based paint on buildings or structures can also contaminate the soil with paint chips or lead dust.
- Water: Drinking water may contain lead due to the use of lead pipes or lead solder. The use of lead pipes and solder (for potable water supplies) was banned in 1987.
- Other: Lead crystal or lead-glazed pottery or porcelain, cosmetics, some spices, fishing sinkers.
Occupational
If you or others in your family work with lead, make sure that any lead-contaminated clothing is handled safely and washed separately from household laundry. Keep work areas away from any areas where children are present. Use proper respiratory protection any time you are working with lead. The following are some occupations which may result in lead exposure and consequently bring lead into the home:
- Battery manufactures
- Auto mechanics
- Metal smelters & lead-reclamation plants
- Miners, especially lead miners
- Glass manufactures
- Painters
- Plastic manufactures
- Printers
- Ceramic or crystal ware manufactures
- Lead abatement workers
- Steel welders or cutters
Certain hobbies have a high lead exposure
- Oil painting
- Stained glass
- Pottery making
- Refinishing furniture
- Hunting or fishing equipment
- Lead soldering
Other sources of lead exposure
- Medicinal (folk remedies)
- Lead-based cosmetics and pottery
- Antique furniture and toys
Note: "Lead" pencils manufactured today DO NOT contain lead; they contain graphite.
Housekeeping
- Keep children away from peeling or chipping paint and accessible or chewable surfaces painted with lead-based paint, especially window sills and window wells.
- Cleaning floors, window frames, window sills and other painted surfaces weekly with warm water and a tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) based cleaner (1/2 cup automatic dishwashing liquid to 1 gallon of water).
- Rinse with clean water and a different mop.
- Do not vacuum hard surfaces. Normal household vacuums serve only to scatter dust further since it does not have a filter capable of containing the fine lead dust.
- Wash children's hands, faces, toys and pacifiers frequently.
Nutrition
Since more lead is absorbed on an empty stomach, make sure your child eats regular nutritious meals. Make sure your child's diet contains an adequate amount of iron and calcium.
- Foods high in iron: fortified cereals, cooked beans, spinach and raisins.
- Foods high in calcium: milk, yogurt, cheese and green vegetables.
Soil
Lead paint chips, lead dust, and leaded gasoline can all contaminate nearby soil impacting children who may play in the area and those who eat produce grown in that soil. In order to find out if there are lead hazards present, soil samples may be taken during a lead inspection. To help keep children safe, it is often recommended to remove and replace affected soil before covering the ground with a barrier such as grass or mulch. If gardening, use raised beds with clean soil. Other ways to help reduce health risks from contaminated soil includes keeping children from digging in areas that might contain soil lead hazards, encouraging hand washing when coming in from playing outdoors, and cleaning shoes before coming indoors.
Renovations and Remodeling
If your house was built prior to 1978, paint should be tested lead before doing any renovation or remodeling. If lead is detected, ensure that leaded paint is removed in a safe manner. It is strongly recommended that you have credentialed professionals trained in the removal of lead-based paint to perform these tasks. Home renovations impacting lead painted surfaces without proper training and project containment can expose you and your children to lead dust.
Water
If the lead content in your tap water is higher than the drinking water standard, let the water run for several minutes before using it. Use only fully-flushed water from the cold water tap for drinking and cooking.
Food:
Do not store food in open cans, especially imported cans. Do not store or serve food in pottery that is meant for decorative use only. Do not store wine or other alcoholic beverages in leaded crystal decanters or other lead crystal containers.