Nurses Know! - Preventing Lead Poisoning

By Tracy Jackson RN.

Childhood lead poisoning
Lead is a toxin that is harmful to young children. Primary prevention for lead awareness is education, which include risk assessment. Healthy People 2010 have established the goal of elimating lead poisoning by 2010 (Healthy People, 2008). Lead poisoning has been linked to autism and cognitive delayed development. Pregnant women or any women who are planning a pregnancy should know the facts surrounding lead poisoning (Safe babies, 2008). Lead awareness information should be included in that new mother’s visit, which should include patient teaching information to prevent expose to lead.
Risk assessments are surveys used to establish your child’s level of exposure to lead (EPA, 2008). The first question usually starts with your home—how old is it? Was the house built before 1974? In the State of Illinois, each local health department has a lead prevention program whereas funds are allocated for lead awareness. Other successful events are health fairs, block parties, run, walk and bike for lead prevention that are held in many communities around the State of Illinois (IDPH, 2008).
Secondary prevention emphasis screening used to identify potential exposure to lead poisoning. The screening is easy to remember, every child starting at birth until 6 years old must receive a yearly screening. The toxic number to remember is 10mcg. Anything over 10mcg will requires treatment according to EPA (EPA, 2008) Starting today, families with young children from birth to 6 years old should not allow shoes that are worn in the public to enter your home. Place a shoe rack at the front door and kindly request all guests to remove their shoes when entering your home. The earth soil carries an enough lead to cause potential harm to all young children (EPA, 2008).
Tertiary prevention for lead awareness consists of treatment. The first line of treatment is to reduce exposure and incorporate foods that are high in calcium and iron into the diet (Safe babies, 2008). Treatment for lead poisoning is a chelating agent which is an oral drug that binds to lead and mercury, and is given every eight hours for five days and then every twelve hours for two more weeks (APA, 2008).

Reference:
AAP parenting corner: Q&A lead screening. Retrieved June 20, 2008, from American Academy of Pediatrics Web site: http://www.aap.org.
Illinois childhood lead poisoning prevention program. Retrieved June 20, 2008, from Illinois Department of Public Health Web site: http://idph.state.il.us/.
Lead awareness program. Retrieved June 20, 2008, from The United States Environmental Protection Agency Web site: http://www.epa.gov.

Written by Tracy Jackson RN with minor editing by Shirley Comer RN.