Governor Laura Kelly has proclaimed October as Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Awareness Month. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is committed to reducing childhood lead poisoning in the state, due to its irreversible and life-long health effects.
Children under the age of six years old are at a greater risk for lead poisoning. They are at the age where they are growing rapidly and tend to put items and their hands in their mouths, play in dirt and explore their environments through touch and taste. These developmentally normal behaviors in young children place them at high risk of lead poisoning if they live in an older home with peeling or chipping lead paint, or in homes with bare soil that has been contaminated with lead. Exposure to lead has been shown to result in learning and behavior problems even at low levels.
Only 11.7% of kids less than six years old were tested for lead the past several years. There is no safe blood lead level in children and the only way to know if a child has been exposed is to get a blood test. They encourage you to talk to your doctor about getting tested.
