The Piedmont Health District, which covers Amelia, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Lunenburg, Nottoway, and Prince Edward counties, is participating in National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week October 23-29, 2016.

The week focuses on the many ways parents can reduce a child’s exposure to lead and prevent its serious health effects. The Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Centers for Disease Control promote educational activities during the week, adding a focus this year on lead in drinking water.

In Virginia, in 2015, 211 children under the age of 6 were confirmed to have elevated blood lead levels; seven of these were from the Piedmont Health District area. In children, too much lead in the body can cause lasting problems with brain development affecting behavior, hearing, learning, speech, and slow growth.

Major sources of lead exposure include lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust in older buildings (pre-1978). Children can also be exposed to lead from contaminated drinking water. Public water supplies are routinely tested for lead, but private water supplies, such as wells, are the owner’s responsibility.

Parents can reduce a child’s exposure to lead in many ways, including having their home, well water and child tested. Also, stay alert to recalls. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission keeps an updated list on their website (www.cpsc.gov/) of toys or products that may contain harmful amounts of lead.

Local health departments can also provide helpful information about preventing childhood lead poisoning. Contact information for the local health departments in the Piedmont Health District can be found online at: www.vdh.virginia.gov/LHD/Piedmont/ContactUs.htm.