It’s national lead poisoning prevention week. The Kent County Health Department is joining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Housing & Urban Development to raise awareness. Officials say Kent County numbers are dropping, but there are still children with dangerous levels of lead in their blood.
“There’s research that found that lower levels of lead are really associated with adverse effects. So there’s renewed interest in talking about lead.”
Childhood lead poisoning prevention program supervisor, Joan Dyer Zyskowski, says the diagnostic level for lead has changed over the last few years. 10 micrograms or more per deciliter of blood used to be the measurement of high levels of lead in children, now she says, it’s dropped to 5 micrograms; one reason for the renewed interest.
“The research actually showed it was creating reading problems, behavioral problems, some hearing loss and just generally lower academic acheievement.”
Joan says 470 Children in Kent County under the age of six tested for high lead levels in 2014 with the vast majority in one area.
“Usually around 80 percent, sometimes as high as 90 percent are in the city of Grand Rapids, and that’s because of the older housing stock.”
Joan says she has a couple of recommendations for parents.
“Our two key messages to parents are to get your child tested because that’s really the only way we know whether a child is impacted by lead and to make sure that your home is safe.”
Joan says there are local resources that can help. You can also go to Michigan.gov\leadsafe.
