PHONE: Brown County Lead Coalition (920) 448-6441 FACEBOOK: @BrownCountyPBCoalition
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is October 21st-27th, 2018
To coincide with National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, Brown County Lead Coalition is participating in community events to raise awareness for childhood lead poisoning.
Brown County Lead Coalition will be at the Saturday, October 20th Farmer’s Market in downtown Green Bay. Please stop by and see our booth with children’s games and educational resources. Haunted lead displays will be located in our community to highlight the number of children who are affected by lead poisoning.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over half a million children aged 1-5 in the United States have blood lead levels high enough to damage their health. Lead poisoning can cause long lasting and serious health issues including:
- Damage to the brain and nervous system
- Slowed growth and development
- Learning and behavior problems
- Hearing and speech problems
Has your child been tested for lead poisoning? Elevated blood lead levels in children are based on a test result taken by the child’s health care provider. During your child’s next office visit, talk to the provider about lead blood testing. Testing should be done at the following ages:
- 1 year old
- 2 years old
- Once between the ages of 3 and 5 if they have not been previously tested
Thousands of children test positive for lead poisoning in Wisconsin each year. In 2016, 84 children in Brown County were lead poisoned. Older homes that were built before 1978 often have chipping and peeling paint that may contain lead; this paint is the number one source for lead poisoning in children.
About 54% of all homes in Brown County are built before 1978 and may contain lead paint. When children play near areas with damaged paint, invisible lead dust can go into the air causing children to breathe it in or have it stick to their hands and toys. Oftentimes those hands and toys end up in the child’s mouth, causing them to swallow the harmful lead. Children can also be exposed to lead from other sources including:
- Soil near pre 1978 buildings
- Older lead plumping
- Costume jewelry
- Antique or imported toys
- Imported candy
- Old or imported pottery
- Lead based hobby or job (for example: hunting/mechanic)
- Second hand smoke.
For more information, please follow Brown County Lead Coalition on Facebook.
Brown County Lead Coalition Members: Brown County Public Health, De Pere Health Department, Oneida Community Health Center, MHS Health Wisconsin, Brown County Planning Commission, Green Bay Head Start, Green Bay Water Utility, Brown County WIC Program, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, UWGB Environmental Management and Business Institute, NeighborWorks Green Bay
