Frequently Asked Questions
Lead is a toxic metal that has been used in products for centuries. Lead is still found across South Dakota. Children can get too much lead in their bodies if they are exposed to lead in their environment. When it enters the body, lead can build up and cause damage. Lead exposure can be detected by a blood test from a doctor.
In children, lead can cause learning, behavior, and health problems. No amount of lead is safe. Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect IQ, ability to pay attention, and academic achievement. Most people with lead poisoning do not have symptoms.
Some symptoms of lead poisoning include:
- Abdominal Pain
- Lethargy/decreased activity
- Nausea, Vomiting, constipation, or diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
- Muscle weakness
- Hyperactivity
- Irritability or behavior change
Children are exposed to lead by swallowing or breathing in small amounts of lead. Lead-based paint is the most common source of lead exposure in children. Lead-based paint is found in many homes built before 1978. When lead paint breaks down over time, it creates lead dust that can contaminate the home and can get on children's hands, toys, bottles, and pacifiers. Lead can be found in sources other than lead paint and dust inside a house. These other sources of lead include soil around a house, a parent's occupation, toys and spices, and medicines from other countries.
Children under the age of 6 years old
Young children are most at risk because their bodies are rapidly developing and because they tend to put their hands or other objects, which may be contaminated with lead dust, into their mouths.
View a map of high-risk ZIP Codes for Childhood Lead Poisoning
Children living in or spending time in homes built before 1978
Lead-based paint was used in homes until it was banned in 1978. The older your home is, the more likely it is to contain lead-based paint. Children living in homes built before 1978 and especially built before 1950 are at higher risk for lead exposure.
View an interactive map of the percentage of pre-1950 and pre-1980 homes in South Dakota.
People living in homes built before 1978 undergoing renovation or remodeling
Renovation work in homes with lead paint can create hazardous lead dust. If renovation or lead removal work is not done properly, family members can be exposed to lead.
Pregnant or nursing women
Lead can harm her unborn baby or child. Some pregnant or nursing women at risk for lead exposure may need a lead test.
To learn more about pregnant women and lead exposure, visit the CDC.
Families using products known to contain lead
some spices, cultural products, and medicines have been found to contain lead.
Children with parents who are exposed to lead at work
Parents can take lead home with them on their clothes and shoes and create lead hazards in the home.
Your child's medical providers can perform a blood test to determine the amount of lead. The CDC reference blood lead level is 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL) for children, so a blood lead level of 3.5 mcg/dL or higher is considered elevated. If a blood lead test is elevated, more testing will be done to ensure the blood lead level goes down. To get your child tested for lead, ask your child's doctor about blood lead testing.
Blood Lead Testing of Children
- Capillary or venous blood can be used to test for blood lead screening.
- All capillary blood lead levels greater than 3.5µg/dL should be confirmed by a second specimen (capillary or venous) within 1-3 months.
- A single venous blood lead level greater than 3.5µg/dL is considered confirmatory.
- Children with blood lead levels greater than or equal to 45µg/dL or with symptoms of lead poisoning should have an immediate (within 48 hours) confirmatory test.
- If confirmed, consult with a medical toxicologist, Poison Center (800-222-1222), or the Rocky Mountain Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (877-800-5554) about evaluation and treatment with chelation therapy.
Parents concerned about lead exposure should ask their child's doctor about blood lead testing. Generally, young children should get a lead screening test around ages 1 and 2 if they meet any of the three criteria below. If your child is 3, 4, or 5 years old, they may need a lead test if they have not already had one.
Parents concerned about lead exposure should ask their child's doctor about blood lead testing. The South Dakota Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (SD CLPPP) recognizes there is NO safe level of lead in the blood and recommends the following:
- Universal testing of children at ages 12 months and 24 months.
- Catch-up testing if a child does not have two blood lead tests by age 3 years.
- Additional targeted testing may be needed for children aged 6 months and then once a year until age 6 based on the risk assessment questions.
If the answer is ‘YES’ or ‘I DON’T KNOW’ to any question on the risk assessment questions below, proceed with testing
- Does the child live in or regularly spend time in a home built before 1978? (This is especially important if there is chipping or peeling paint or if a renovation was completed in the past year.)
- Does the child live with a parent or caregiver who works in an occupation with frequent lead exposure? (Examples include plumbing, construction, auto repair, metal/battery recycling, and welding)?
- Does the child have a sibling or playmate with a blood lead level of 3.5 µg/dL or higher? Or has a parent or caregiver expressed concern about lead exposure and requested a lead test?
- Has the child recently arrived in the U.S. as an immigrant, refugee, or foreign adoptee?
The best way to protect children is to prevent lead exposure before they are harmed. The most important step is stopping children from coming into contact with lead. There are many ways parents can reduce a child's exposure to lead:
- Have your child visit a doctor and ask about blood lead testing
- Keep children away from lead paint and lead dust
- Renovate safely
- Clean and maintain your home
- Make sure your child has a healthy diet
The South Dakota Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (SD CLPPP) cooperative agreement with the CDC contributes toward eliminating childhood lead exposure as a public health problem. The Program provides lead exposure prevention education and support to the families of children exposed to lead. The Program also maintains surveillance data of blood lead results on children younger than six. Using this data, SD CLPPP can develop and evaluate current efforts to prevent lead poisoning across the state. Data findings will be used to inform medical and health professionals on testing, reporting, and case management. Data collected can help to update outreach activities and educational materials for parents, educators, and health professionals.