THE SILENT HAZARD OF CHILDHOOD LEAD POISONING
Childhood lead poisoning remains the number one public health threat to children. Despite the fact that it is largely preventable, Maine children are at particularly high risk for lead poisoning because more than 60 percent of our state's homes were built before lead-based paint was banned in 1978. Children can be exposed to dust or chips from lead paint when windows are opened and closed or when lead paint is sanded during renovations without proper precautions being followed.
Nearly 11 percent of Maine children have blood levels of 10 to 19 micrograms per deciliter, a level that requires medical attention. Another two percent have levels that are considered dangerous. Some health care providers, however, neglect to screen children who are at risk. Despite the fact that Maine's early periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment guidelines require that all one- and two-year-old children on Medicaid be screened, only about 30 percent of these children are tested.
These statistics are troubling because lead poisoning can have extremely harmful, and often irreversible, effects on children. Children are at greatest risk of contracting lead poisoning because they frequently put their hands, toys, and other objects in their mouths. Lead is especially harmful to children under age six because their developing central nervous systems are more susceptible to poisoning. While children who suffer from low-level lead poisoning may not exhibit obvious symptoms, research increasingly is showing that even relatively low levels of lead exposure can cause reductions in IQ and attention span, reading and learning disabilities, hyperactivity, and behavioral problems, all of which can threaten a child's ability to achieve his or her full potential. Extremely high levels of lead exposure, which are very rare in the United States today, can cause coma, convulsions, and even death.
While we have made great strides in reducing the lead found in consumer products during the last 20 years, I continue to be concerned about the risk to children in our state. To tackle this silent but insidious hazard, I have joined with Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed in sponsoring a resolution that designates the third week in October as National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. Senator Reid and I have cosponsored this resolution during the past two Congresses, and we are pleased to do so again. This year, National Childhood Lead Poisoning Awareness Week will be marked with programs and activities nationwide to educate communities about the dangers of lead.
Moreover, throughout my tenure in the Senate, I have consistently supported increasing funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Lead Hazard Control. Following a letter that I sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee earlier this year, the appropriators agreed to fund the Office of Lead Hazard Control at a level of $175 million.
Finally, there are steps that families can take themselves to help ensure a safer environment for their children. The most common source of high-level contamination is paint dust that is released as a result of remodeling and refurbishment. The Maine Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program has a simple reminder: investigate before you renovate! If you live in an older house and are having work done, be sure to have it tested for lead before you begin renovations. For more information, contact the Maine State Housing Authority or the Maine Department of Environmental Protection on how to proceed. Lower level contamination is still possible as a result of undisturbed lead-based paint, and refinishing antique furniture can also release lead dust. Hardware stores sell simple kits that will allow you to know what you're dealing with before you get started by testing for the presence of lead. Above all, be sure to have your child's blood level tested by a physician if you think there's a possibility of exposure. It is the only way to know for sure if there is serious danger of lead poisoning.
We're off to a good start in the quest to combat lead poisoning. I am hopeful, however, that during this year's National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, increasing numbers of physicians across our state will take note of the need to screen at-risk children for lead poisoning, and parents will become more vigilant about protecting their children from lead exposure. Indeed, all of us share a collective duty to protect Maine children from lead exposure and to help the United States reach the goal of eliminating childhood lead poisoning.
