The Burlington
County Health Department and Virtua Community Nursing Services, in cooperation
with the Beverly Housing Authority, will be conducting a free community child
lead screening on Monday, August 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at 101
Magnolia Street, Beverly, NJ 08010. The screening is open to all children under
6 years of age.
Exposure to
lead can result in neurological problems that may cause developmental delays,
behavioral issues, and difficulties at school. The free screening is done
via a fingerstick and will tell parents if their child has elevated levels of
lead in their blood. Education on how to prevent exposure to lead is also
provided at the session.
“In an effort
to get even more children screened, we have partnered with Virtua to host
additional opportunities for families to have their children screened for
elevated blood lead levels with community screenings this month,” said
Burlington County Health Department Director Dr. Herb Conaway. “Early
identification of lead toxicity means more timely intervention to prevent the
devastating, life-long effects of lead exposure. We are happy to work with the
Housing Authority to bring this screening onsite and are hoping parents take
advantage of this program.”
The CDC
estimates that at least 4 million US households have children living in them
that are being exposed to high levels of lead, and approximately half a million
US children age 1-5 years have blood lead levels above 5 μg/dl, the reference
level at which CDC recommends public health actions be initiated. The primary
exposure to lead in children in the United States is through lead-based paint,
but unknown to many, lead is also in many products, such as makeup, toys,
jewelry, zippers, and imported ceramics (plates, bowls, mugs).
In addition to
the community lead screenings, free walk-in child lead screenings continue to
take place at the Burlington County Health Department every Monday from 9:00
a.m. to noon. Appointments also available upon request by calling 609-914-8550.
For questions about lead in the home, call the national hotline 1-800-424-LEAD (5323). Other resources include the Southern Regional Lead and Healthy Homes Coalition at 856-665-6000, the Burlington County Health Department Lead Program at 609-265-5515, and the state of New Jersey Lead Safe program https://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dhcr/offices/leadsafe.html.