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Childhood lead poisoning prevention program

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Give Me One Minute

One minute is all you need to find out if your child might be at risk for lead poisoning. Take our quick quiz, and learn whether your child should be tested.

LEAD RISK QUESTIONNAIRE

Question 1/8

Is your child covered by or eligible for Medicaid, Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) or Colorado Indigent Care Program (CICP)?

 

Question 2/8

Does your child live in or regularly visit homes built before 1978?

Question 3/8

Is your child a recent immigrant, refugee or foreign adoptee?

Question 4/8

Does your child have a relative or playmate who recently tested positive for lead poisoning?

Question 5/8

Does anyone in your home come into contact with lead at work or through hobbies? See list below.
  • Home repair or remodeling
  • Painter
  • Bridge or tunnel worker
  • Building construction or demolition
  • Pottery making
  • Battery or radiator repair
  • Stained glass-making
  • Metal scrap or recycling work
  • Fishing
  • Building or repairing ships or boats

Question 6/8

Does your family use home remedies or traditional medicines to treat illnesses? See list below.
  • Greta
  • Azarcon
  • Sindoor
  • Surma
  • Pay-loo-ah

Question 7/8

Does your child live or spend time near industrial areas that may release lead into the air, such as a mine, smelter, airports, or battery recycling plants?

Question 8/8

Do you know or suspect lead is a risk for your child’s health, or does your child exhibit symptoms of lead poisoning?

Symptoms can include:

  • Pica (eating non-food items such as dirt or paint chips)
  • Developmental issues (for example, inattention, hyperactivity, problems with learning, slow growth)

Results

Medicaid, CHP+, and CICP require lead screening tests at 12 and 24 months.

Ask your health care provider to test your child for lead at their 1 and 2 year check-ups, or at their next visit if they haven't been screened before. Your child’s health care provider covers this test — for free.

If your health care provider checks your child's blood for lead and finds out it is high, the provider can tell you about treatments.

Learn more about risk factors for lead poisoning.

Results

Your child likely has not come into contact with common sources of lead. However, if you still have concerns or want peace of mind, contact your child’s health care provider for a lead test.

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Lead Poisoning: The risks and results of childhood exposure to lead

Coloradans can be exposed to lead from a variety of sources in their homes and environments.

Lead builds up in the body over time, and repeated exposure can lead to health problems. Infants and young children whose nervous systems are developing are at the highest risk of lead poisoning.

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Sources of childhood lead exposure include:

Home remedies, foods, and spices

Home remedies like Greta, Azarcon, Alacron, Rudea or Pay-loo-Ah. Imported spices: turmeric, coriander, black pepper, thyme, & hanuman sindoor

Lead is present in certain foods, spices, cosmetics, and home remedies. Despite its presence, it is impossible to know whether products contain lead simply by looking at or tasting them. Getting a blood lead test is the only way to know if you have been exposed. Visit the link above to learn more about what products may contain lead and how to prevent exposure.

Soil

Lead-containing soil or dust that is tracked into the home

The soil you come into contact with every day may contain heavy metals, such as lead, that can get into your body by accidentally eating or breathing in dirt and dust particles. Heavy metals are naturally found in soil but can also come from sources such as chipping lead-based paint on older homes. Visit the link above to learn more about preventing lead exposure from soil around your home and community.

Construction, mining, welding or plumbing

Family members whose jobs involve working with lead or lead-based products, such as construction, mining, welding, and plumbing

You can be exposed to lead at work by breathing it, swallowing it, or even absorbing it through your skin. Although using lead paint was banned in 1978, lead as a metal is still commonly used in construction, mining, and manufacturing. A person working with lead may have lead dust on their clothes or personal items when returning home, putting members of their family at risk. Visit the link above to learn more about lead in the workplace and how you can protect yourself.

Lead in hobbies

Lead-containing materials used in hobbies: leaded bullets or fish sinkers, artist paints, stained glass, furniture refinishing

If you use products or materials that contain lead in your hobbies, you are more likely to come into contact with lead. Those who have come into contact with lead during these hobbies can bring it home with them in the form of dust, which can be tracked onto carpets, floors, furniture, and other surfaces that a child may touch. Visit the link above to learn more about hobbies that may expose you to lead. If you believe you or your child has been exposed to lead, get a blood lead test.

Lead in pottery

Imported, glazed pottery that may be used for cooking

Traditional pottery and other forms of ceramics used to hold food or liquid must be glazed. These glazes may contain lead. When the glazed pottery or ceramics are heated up or contain hot contents, the lead can be absorbed into the food or liquid. Visit the link above to learn more about the presence of lead in traditional pottery and what precautions you can take.

Lead in paint

Lead-based paint in homes built before 1978 and imported toys

Homes built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint. When the paint peels and cracks, it makes lead paint chips and dust, which can cause lead exposure for young children. Lead exposure happens quickly if a child swallows something with lead, such as a paint chip. Visit the link above to learn more about lead-based paint and how to prevent exposure.

Lead in children’s toys

Lead in consumer products

Lead can be found in some consumer products that are imported into the United States or collectible items and toys that have been passed down through the generations. Visit the link above to learn more about what toys or products to avoid and what steps to take if you have vintage or recalled toys in the home.

Lead in water pipes

Water in pipes from homes built before 1986

Certain pipes that carry drinking water into the home may contain lead. Household plumbing fixtures, welding solder, and pipe fittings made before 1986 may also contain lead. Visit the link above to learn more about what to look out for in pipes, as well as how to request testing and reduce your exposure to lead in drinking water.

Learn more about what you can do to reduce your family’s risk of exposure to lead. You can also find out about how to get yourself, your child and your home tested for lead using the resources below.

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Getting your child tested

Choosing to get your child tested for lead is an important way to ensure your child stays healthy and develops appropriately. Lead testing for children may look different depending on where you live and what tests are available at the time of testing. Contact your child’s health care provider to find out how to schedule a lead test.

Resources

To learn more about lead poisoning risks, effects, and testing, check out the following resources:

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About CCLPPP

The Colorado Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CCLPPP) focuses on identifying children at risk for lead poisoning and ensuring they get tested. The program also supports local public health in preventing, assessing and reducing lead exposures, and helping Coloradans access treatment when needed. The Colorado Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CCLPPP) is a part of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).