Screening guidelines for children and pregnant women changed by the working group

"Current evidence is insufficient" to support such screening, according to the recommendations of the US Task Force on Prevention Services, published in the medical journal JAMA Tuesday.

Now, "we publish a recommendation" I ", which means that we say that there is not enough evidence to recommend or not routine screening of lead in children, and the recommendation" I "As you may know, is really a call for more research," said Dr. Alex Krist, vice chair of the task force and professor of family medicine and population health at Virginia Commonwealth University.

"What has really changed is the type of children's exposure to lead, and it's actually harder to determine if a child is in danger or not, so we did not trust us to say: "Do not do it for low income. "- risk kids," he said.

"Over the past two decades, many public health advances in reducing lead exposure have been positive, but there are still sources of exposure, such as water. Contaminated Drinking, Lead Plumbing and Other Existing Sources and May Still be Harmful, Carrying Kids Today. "

High levels of lead can be detected by taking a small sample of blood, for example with a finger or heel, and testing the blood. Another way of screening is to use a questionnaire on risk factors for lead poisoning.

According to the CDC, there is no safe blood lead level in children.

For the new recommendations, the researchers reviewed 24 previously published studies on the screening and treatment of high levels of lead in the blood. The review found that the use of screening questionnaires was not accurate in identifying children with high blood lead levels.

There was also a lack of evidence to measure the benefits and harms of screening for elevated blood lead levels in children and pregnant women.

"We are always looking to find out if there is new evidence, and if there ever was new evidence on what clinicians should or should not do, we will update our recommendations," Krist said.

"Nowhere does the USPSTF recommend abandoning child screening for elevated lead levels." For the moment, guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Centers for Prevention and Control of diseases, the Medicaid program and local, regional and federal regulations remain indispensable, "wrote Weitzman.

"It is essential that we work closely with the health departments, housing authorities, local and regional municipalities, early intervention programs and school departments to ensure the coordinated care of children with disabilities. lead levels, while conducting research and uniting their efforts, non-governmental organizations in advocating for primary prevention efforts, "he writes. "The risk of not doing each of these things is too great for our children and our society."