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BLOOD LEAD TESTING REQUIRED BEFORE SCHOOL ENTRY
Do Iowa children need to have a blood lead test before they start kindergarten?
Yes, beginning in the fall of 2008, all Iowa children must have proof of a blood lead test before starting kindergarten,
or as soon after that as the parents are notified that the child needs a test.
My child was already tested for lead poisoning at the age of 2 years. Is another test needed? Do I need to take
a copy of my child’s blood lead test to the school?
No, if the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH)
has a record of the test, your child does not need another test. (Physicians and laboratories report all tests to IDPH.) IDPH
will let you and the school know if they do not have a record of the test.
Will Medicaid, hawk-i, or private insurance cover the cost of a blood lead test?
Medicaid and hawk-i will both pay for a blood lead test. Many insurance plans also pay for this test. If you do not have
a way to pay for this test, the Iowa Department of Public Health will have some funds to pay for it.
Is there a religious exemption for the blood lead testing requirement?
Yes, there is a religious exemption. There is a
form that you must fill out and have notarized. You need to file this form with the school. The form will soon be available
from the Iowa Department of Public Health, schools, and local health departments.
Will my child be kept out of school if they have not had a blood lead test?
Your child will not be kept out of school. However, childhood lead poisoning is a serious problem in Iowa. It
causes learning disabilities and could affect your child’s school performance, so we strongly recommend that your child
be tested for lead poisoning.
OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT CHILDHOOD LEAD POISONING
How often should your child be tested for lead poisoning?
It’s important to get their blood lead level tested at least once a year until they are six years old.
Many children have normal blood lead levels at 6-12 months of age. However, these same children may become lead-poisoned when
they are older and more active.
How do children become lead-poisoned?
Children become lead-poisoned if they:
• Put lead-based paint chips in their mouths.
• Put dusty or dirty hands, toys, bottles, or pacifiers in their mouths.
• Chew on surfaces painted with lead-based paint.
• Play in dirt or a sandbox near an old building or where an
old building was torn down.
• Breathe in dust from lead-based paint that is being sanded,
scraped, or removed with a heat gun.
Lead poisoning is usually caused by lead-based paint found in homes built before 1960. About 60% of the homes
in Iowa, both in urban and rural areas, were built before 1960.
How common is lead poisoning?
Lead poisoning affects 1 in 14 Iowa children. This is four times the national average.
Could your child be lead-poisoned?
Yes — most children with lead poisoning do not look sick. Lead-poisoned children may:
• Be easily excited.
• Have problems paying attention.
• Complain of stomach aches and headaches.
• Be more tired than usual.
Lead-poisoned children may have learning problems when they start school.
Children with very high lead levels may have severe brain damage or even die.
The only way to tell if your child is lead-poisoned is to have their blood tested.
Where can I get more information?
For more information about lead poisoning and how you can protect your children, contact one of the following
agencies:
Iowa Department of Public Health
1 (800) 972-2026
(515) 281-3479
or Cedar County Public Health
563-886-2226
Back to School
Pencils? Check. Notebooks? Check. Lead Test? In Iowa,
a new state law, House File 158 was passed last year as part of a campaign against lead poisoning, which health officials
describe as one of the most preventable causes of learning disabilities and brain damage in young children. Statewide, more
than 10,000 children under the age of 6 had toxic levels of lead in their blood between the years of 2002 and 2006. Thousands
more likely were never detected because they weren’t tested. Iowa ranks sixth in the nation for the highest percentage
of homes built before 1960, and most of them were built before 1950. The new
law requires Iowa children to provide evidence of a blood test when they enter elementary school. The requirement applies
to children enrolled in public and private schools, and those who also receive private instruction.
At Cedar County Public Health we are able to view every child in our county who has received a lead test along with
when the test was performed, what the result was, and when the child is due for retesting through a statewide database Stellar. We offer free lead testing
at our office using a quick, simple finger stick. A copy of the result is sent
to you as well as your child’s physician. You may also choose to have this test performed at your child’s Doctor’s
office. Refer to the lists below for walk in clinics for the lead test and also
for well child immunization dates. You can also call our office at the number above and schedule an appointment for other
times or with any questions.
Lead
Clinic Walk-In Dates from 8 to 3:30
October 8 & 9
November 12 & 13
December 1 & 2
Clinics from 4 to 6 PM
September 18
October 16
November 20
December 18
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As adults who are involved
in the life of a child, we are all aware of “normal” household hazards such as cleaners and medications
that can harm a child and take steps to minimize this risk. However, there is an element that your child is exposed
to right in your own home that could be poisoning them without you being aware of it.
Cedar County has
over 6 times the national average of children with elevated levels of lead in their blood. An elevated level is considered
to be any level of 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter or higher. Lead poisoning is a disease caused by swallowing or
inhaling lead. Even small amounts of chipped lead paint or leaded dust can be dangerous in the body.
At
elevated levels, the effects of lead poisoning may not be obvious. At low levels of poisoning a child’s development
can be slowed, and there may damage to red blood cell production. Lead poisoning may cause learning and behavioral difficulties
such as excitability and hyperactivity, inability to pay attention, and quick frustration. At higher levels, damage
may occur to the nervous system, the kidneys, the reproductive system, mental development, and more.
There
are usually no signs or symptoms of lead poisoning. The only way to tell if a child has too much lead in his or her
body is with a quick and easy blood test. Several things make a child at high risk for lead poisoning including:
-Living
in or regularly visiting a building built before 1960. Iowa ranks 6th in the nation for pre-1960 housing, 5th in the
nation for pre-1950.
-Peeling or chipping paint in or around the pre-1960 house.
-Eating non-food items such
as dirt.
-Playmates or siblings with high lead levels.
-Contacts with an adult who works with lead on the job
or as a hobby. Examples : painter, welder, foundry worker, old home renovator, shooting range worker, battery plant worker,
battery recycling worker, ceramics worker, stained glass worker, sheet metal worker, scrap metal worker, plumber.
-Using
home folk remedies such as azarcon, greta, pay-loo-ah
-Eating candy from Mexico or purchased from a Mexican grocery
store, or from pots or pottery from Mexico containing lead.
All children from 1 year old up to age 6
should be screened at least annually. Screening can mean early detection---and less damage. Cedar County Public
Health offers a quick and simple fingerstick test free of charge to all Cedar County residents. Please call us today
at 563-886-2226 for more information about lead poisoning or to schedule a time to have your children tested.
Click HERE to take a very very short quiz on Lead Poisoning.
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