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. 2012 Jul;120(7):a268.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.120-a268.

CDC updates guidelines for children's lead exposure

Kellyn S Betts

CDC updates guidelines for children's lead exposure

Kellyn S Betts. Environ Health Perspect. 2012 Jul.
No abstract available

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Lead-based paint remains the most important source of lead poisoning for U.S. children. Despite the great reductions in exposure that followed the removal of lead from gasoline, an estimated 37.1 million U.S. homes still contain lead paint. Ingestion of paint chips or (more commonly) of the contaminated dust that forms when lead paint erodes is the usual route of pediatric exposure. The “checking” pattern of surface cracks seen in this image is typical of older lead-based paint, although the absence of a checking pattern does not guarantee that a surface is lead-free, because older lead-based paint may be painted over. A definitive diagnosis requires X-ray fluorescence analysis of each painted surface, especially those within reach of young children such as window sills and railings. Such analysis is strongly recommended for any U.S. home built before 1978, the year residential use of lead-based paint was banned. Testing should be undertaken by an inspector certified by the EPA or the local health department. Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc, and Charles H. Kellner, MD
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References

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    1. CDC. CDC Response to Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Recommendations in “Low Level Lead Exposure Harms Children: A Renewed Call for Primary Prevention.” Atlanta, GA:U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (updated 7 Jun 2012). Available: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/ACCLPP/Final_Document_030712.pdf [accessed 13 Jun 2012].
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