LeadCare Resource - Healthcare Provider

Who is at risk?

Children are considered at risk is any of the following are true:

Child lives or frequently visits a home built before 1978. [1 in 4 children live in a home built before 1978] – 30% of kids are exposed from sources other than lead paint.
Child’s parent or primary caregiver works with lead.
- Examples include: battery recycling or manufacture, lead smelting, lead mining, auto repair, shipbuilding, construction, plumbing, and glass manufacturer
Child has a sibling or frequent playmate with elevated blood lead levels.
Child is a recent immigrant, refugee, or foreign adoptee.
Child has a household member who uses traditional, folk, or ethnic remedies or cosmetics or who routinely eats food imported informally (e.g., by a family member)

Lifelong consequences of lead exposure include:3,4

Six times
higher likelihood of having a reading disability.

Seven times
more likely to drop out of high school.

Lower scores
on tests for math, reading, nonverbal reasoning and short-term memory.

Decline in IQ
with every 1.0 μg/dL increase in blood lead.

Have you found the children at risk in your practice?

1 in 38 U.S. children has harmful blood lead levels. Federal law requires that all Medicaid eligible children be tested at 12 and 24 months and ages 36 to 72 months if they have not previously been tested.

No safe levels. Evidence continues to grow that blood lead levels as low as 3.5 ug/dL may impair cognition, with no minimum threshold yet identified.

Early diagnosis helps to quickly address the effects of lead exposure and provides an impetus for lead abatement in homes.

How is the testing performed?

A blood test can be performed at the doctor’s office, local health department, clinic or hospital. A healthcare provider will test a child’s blood for lead. During a blood lead test, a small amount of blood is taken from the finger, heel, or arm and tested for lead.

finger-prick (capillary) sample is usually the first step to determine if a child has lead in their blood. A finger-prick test that shows a blood lead level at or above CDC’s blood lead reference value is usually followed by a second test to confirm it.

A venous blood draw takes blood from the child’s vein. It may take a few days to receive results from the laboratory. A healthcare provider may order a venous blood draw to confirm the blood lead level seen in an initial capillary test.

To find out if a home has lead, hire a certified lead inspector to test for lead. Visit the Environmental Protection Agency’s Locate Certified Inspection, Risk Assessment, and Abatement Firms web page to locate one.

Renters can ask their landlord to have the home inspected or to share results of recently conducted lead inspections. Visit the Lead in Drinking Water and the Lead in Soil web pages for additional information on testing for lead in or around the home.

Point-of-care testing reaches those at risk, eliminating the need for follow up.

LeadCare II is the only CLIA-waived point-of-care blood lead testing system. Any employee of an office or lab operating under a CLIA Certificate of Waiver can administer the test.

3 minutes. 2 drops of blood. 1 visit. Zero loose ends.

Learn more about LeadCare II

What’s a Blood Lead Reference Value?

No level of lead in the blood is safe. In October 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated the blood lead reference value from 5 ug/dL to 3.5 ug/dL.

CDC’s BLRV is a screening tool to identify children who have higher levels of lead in their blood compared with most children. The reference value is not health-based and is not a regulatory standard.

States independently determine action thresholds based on state laws, regulations, and resource availability.

CDC encourages healthcare providers and public health professionals to follow the recommended follow-up actions based on confirmed blood lead levels.

Resources for your Practice

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6 Lead Facts to Know Poster

Lead Quantity Poster

Surprising Sources of Lead Poster

6 Lead Facts to Know Poster (Spanish)

Frequently asked questions about lead exposure

What is lead?

Lead is a natural occurring metal used in a variety of products and materials. Exposure to lead even in small amount can affect multiple body systems and can be particularly harmful to young children.

How does lead exposure occur?