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Officials advise residents on steps to reduce lead exposure

NEW CUMBERLAND–The Hancock County Health Department is using National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week to advise residents about avoiding unhealthy exposure to lead.

The 2016 theme, “Lead-Free Kids for a Healthy Future,” focuses on the many ways parents can reduce a child’s exposure to lead and prevent its serious health effects.

Children under the age of 6 are the most vulnerable because their bodies will not metabolize any lead that they ingest, the health department said. High levels of lead can cause stomach distress, hyperactivity, sleep troubles and, if left unchecked, growth delays and developmental delays.

Children recently adopted from other countries may have been exposed to lead.

The most common sources of lead hazards are deteriorated lead-based paint in older homes (pre-1978), lead dust and contaminated soil, the health department said. A child does not have to eat paint chips to become lead poisoned. Other potential sources are fishing weights, keys, imported vinyl mini-blinds, cosmetics, toys, cheap jewelry, lead-glazed ceramic ware pottery, leaded crystal, ammunition and old plumbing fixtures.

Despite the continued presence of lead in the environment, lead poisoning is preventable, the health department said. Parents can reduce a child’s exposure to lead by:

* Getting their home tested.

* Asking for a lead inspection prior to buying an older home.

* Asking a doctor to test their younger children. (In homes built before 1978, children ages 6 and younger can be at risk for lead exposure and should have their blood lead level tested.)

Children under 6 with an elevated blood lead level (greater than 5 micrograms per deciliter of blood) can get an environmental lead assessment done free of charge, the health department said.

Parents should also:

* Have their children play in grassy areas, not in dirt.

* Make sure children wash their hands before eating.

* Wash their child’s toys.

* Feed their children healthy foods, avoiding too many fried or fatty foods.

* Not let their children put things other than food in their mouth.

For more information, call the health department at 304-564-3343, visit the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health online (wvdhhr.org/rtia/lead.asp) or call toll-free 1-800-424-LEAD.

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