St. Clair Today

Macomb County issued the following announcement on Oct. 22.

October 20-26, 2019 is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. NLPPW is a call to bring together individuals, organizations industry, and state, tribal and local governments to increase lead poisoning prevention awareness in an effort to reduce childhood exposure to lead.

Macomb County Health Department will participate by highlighting ways that families can reduce children’s exposure to lead in their environment and prevent its serious health effects. Key themes for 2019 include:

• Get the Facts – learn about the hazards of lead
• Get Your Home Tested – learn how to minimize risk of lead exposure by hiring a certified professional to test homes built before 1978 for lead
• Get Your Child Tested – a simple blood test can determine if your child has been exposed to dangerous levels.

Lead can be found inside and outside the home, including in the water that travels through lead pipes or in the soil around the house. However, the most common source of exposure is from lead-based paint, which was used in many homes built before 1978. Adults and children can get lead into their bodies by breathing in the lead dust (especially during activities such as renovations, repairs or painting) or by swallowing lead dust that settles in food, food preparation surfaces, floors, window sills, and other places, or eating paint chips or soil that contain lead.

Children can also become exposed to lead dust from adults’ jobs or hobbies, and from some metal toys or toys painted with lead-based paint. Children are not exposed equally to lead, nor suffer its consequences in the same way. These disparities overly burden minority families and low-income families and their communities.

For more information on lead poisoning and lead poisoning prevention, please visit health.macombgov.org, the MCHD’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/PublicHealthMacomb or the National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week website.

Original source can be found here.