Lead Poisoning Prevention Week around the corner

Sunday kicks off National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, and the State Department of Public Health is joining several federal agencies in commemorating the occasion.

Lead Poisoning Prevention week is dedicated to the effects of lead poisoning prevention.

"This year's NLPPW theme, Lead-Free Kids for a Healthy Future, highlights the importance of testing your child," said Krista Veneziano, supervisor. of the DPH Lead, Radon and Healthy Homes Program, in a news release.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that nearly half a million children living in the United States have elevated blood lead levels. The health impacts of lead poisoning in the brain and nervous system, slowed growth and development, learning and behavior difficulties and hearing problems.

Major sources of lead exposure to children include lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust in deteriorating buildings. Lead paint was banned in the United States in 1978.

Lead in Pregnancy in Connecticut's Children has decreased over the past 15 years – because of mandatory childhood screening and primary prevention efforts – the state's housing stock is among the oldest in the country; many houses still contain lead paint.

The state of the data show that black and Hispanic children in Connecticut are at a higher risk of being lead poisoned than children of other races.

Here are some simple things parents can do to help protect their family from lead exposure:

Get your child tested – Even if your young children seem healthy, ask your doctor to test them for lead. Mandatory screening is the law in Connecticut.

Learn about drinking water – Where do you go from here?

Understand the facts: DPH can provide you with helpful information about preventing childhood lead poisoning.

For more information, visit http://www.ct.gov/preventlead, or visit DPH's Lead, Radon and Healthy Homes Program at 860-509-7299.