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How do I find out if I am poisoned or if my children are poisoned?
The only way to find out if you or your children are poisoned with lead is to get a blood test. There are often no symptoms of lead poisoning until there has been a large build-up of lead in the body. State regulations require doctors and nurses to perform lead tests on every child under six, unless a parent or guardian objects. The test results show how much lead is in the blood by saying how many micrograms of lead are in a deciliter of blood (abbreviated “µg/dL”). All children should be tested around their first and second birthdays. The connections in our brains to our nervous systems that control how we can think and learn, how we move, and how we behave are growing the fastest between birth and three years old. That is why early testing for lead is important.
Some children should be tested even earlier and more often than that because they are more likely to get lead poisoning. Children who live in houses built before 1960 where there is chipping or peeling paint are more likely to get lead poisoned. So are children who live in houses built before 1960 that are being renovated. Children are more likely to get lead poisoning if their parents are exposed to lead at work or have hobbies that use lead. Those situations increase the risk of lead poisoning. If your child is between six months and six years old, once a year your child’s doctor should ask you if any of those situations apply to your family. Your answers will help the doctor decide when and how often your child should be tested for lead. If you think one of those situations applies to your child, mention it to your child’s doctor. If they have never been tested before, all children between two and six years old should be tested.
Adults who live near or work in places where lead is used may want to be tested, too. Although experts now agree that any amount of lead in the body can be harmful, there must be further testing and follow-up if your child’s blood lead level is 10 µg/dL or greater.
The federal Medicaid law requires all children under six who are receiving Medicaid to be tested for lead as part of the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) program. This program requires regular, comprehensive examinations for children with Medicaid that include their vaccinations, and the evaluation of their hearing, vision, and mental and physical development. The federal government requires states to provide necessary treatment for Medicaid children to the age of 21 for conditions discovered during EPSDT examinations. Screening for lead is an important part of the EPSDT program . Older children who are receiving Medicaid and are considered to be at high risk for lead poisoning must be screened also. Children on Medicaid get lead poisoned more often than other children because they often live in older houses with more chipping and peeling paint. In fact, eight out of 10 lead-poisoned children are on Medicaid. If you or your children are eligible for Medicaid, make sure that your physician or nurse practitioner in your health maintenance organization (HMO) or other managed care organization (MCO) tests your child for lead through the EPSDT program. If your child is in Plan B, C, or D in NJ FamilyCare, they should also be receiving regular, comprehensive physical examinations, and they should be screened for lead poisoning.
In New Jersey, all health insurance policies, HMOs, and MCOs are required to cover lead screening as part of their preventive service package, even for non-Medicaid recipients.
The lead test can be done by taking blood from a finger prick or from a vein. If your child has a lead level of 10 µg/dL or more on a test of blood from a finger prick, the test should be done again with blood from a vein, which is more reliable. The results of a lead test done on blood from a vein are called a “confirmed” blood lead level.
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Where can I get my child tested?
If you have health insurance, belong to an HMO or MCO, or are eligible for Medicaid, your primary care physician (PCP) or family doctor will test your child for lead. If you don’t have health insurance and you cannot afford the test, your child can get a lead test for free from your local health department. You can get the phone number from your town hall or municipal center, or call the New Jersey Child and Adolescent Health Program at (609) 292-5666. The contact information for is also available at Directory of Local Health Departments in New Jersey. You can also have your child tested for free or at a sliding rate fee at your nearest federally qualified health center.
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