A blood lead test is the only way to find out if your child has a high lead level. Most children with high levels of lead in their blood have no symptoms. Although lead hazards in pre-1978 housing are the most common risk to young children, lead can be found in many products and places. Iowa requires all children to have had at least one test prior to entering kindergarten.
A child’s risk of exposure changes rapidly as they become more mobile. One test is not an indicator of future exposure or blood lead level. There are two types of blood lead tests used to see if your child has lead poisoning: capillary and venous. A capillary blood lead test is used as a screening tool to tell if your child has been exposed to lead in the past 3-4 months. A small amount of blood is taken from the capillaries close to the skin in your child’s arm, finger or heel to find out how much lead they have in their blood. If this level is high, a venous test is recommended since it’s more accurate than a capillary test.
In Iowa, legislation requires all children entering kindergarten have at least one blood lead level test. The goal of this legislation is to protect Iowa children under the age of 6 years from lead damage in their developing brains and nervous systems, and to reduce the number of children with developmental and learning problems related to lead exposure.
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For more information on blood lead testing, contact the Iowa Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at 800-972-2026.
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