CDC May Tighten Lead Poisoning Standards

PRLog (Press Release) - Jan. 30, 2012 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends that children between the ages of 1 and 5 who have blood lead levels greater than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood should seek treatment.  Recently, the CDC announced that they are considering lowering this action level to 5 micrograms.

If the new standard is adopted then it has been estimated that an additional 200,000 children would need treatment for lead poisoning.  This is in addition to the 250,000 children who already meet the previous standard.

“Lead poisoning is entirely preventable,” reported Susan White, Ph.D., CMC, President of Sussex Environmental Health Consultants, one of the premier lead testing and consulting firms in the Mid-Atlantic region.  “The key is to stop children from coming into contact with lead in their homes, schools and other places children commonly inhabit.  Identifying lead health hazards is easily accomplished by testing suspect materials, including old paints applied before 1978, to determine if lead is present,” she continued.

According to the CDC, “All children under the age of 6 years old are at risk because they are growing so rapidly and because they tend to put their hands or other objects, which may be contaminated with lead dust, into their mouths.”

It is important to determine the construction year of the house or the dwelling where a child may spend a large amount of time.  This may include daycare centers, babysitters’ homes and the homes of relatives. In housing built before 1978, assume that the paint has lead unless tests show otherwise.    

SEHC recently sponsored a public outreach video on lead that can be seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5UnRr0tj88




To learn more about lead or how SEHC can provide services to protect people from lead and other indoor air quality (IAQ) and environmental dangers, please visit http://www.sussexenvironmental.com, email susan.white@mchsi.com or call (302) 947-1810.

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About Sussex Environmental Health Consultants, LLC
SEHC is a certified woman owned business that provides environmental and health and safety consulting services. The company is located in the Mid-Atlantic and services clients nationwide. SEHC provides solutions to clients ranging from homeowners to international Fortune 500 Corporations.

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http://www.prlog.org/11785155/1