• Every child under 6 years of age.
• State law requires all children on Medicaid at the ages of 1 and 2 years.
• Children who live in or visit buildings that were built before 1978.
• Children who have a sibling, playmate, or acquaintance with lead poisoning.
• Children who frequently encounter an adult who has a hobby or job that works with lead.  Examples are construction, welding, machining, pottery, painting, and ammunition.
• Children who live in or visit homes, childcare facilities, or schools with peeling, chipping, dusting or chalking paint, toys, or dishes.

Usually, a finger stick is done first but if the level comes back 3.5 or higher then blood must be drawn from their arm to confirm the number.  

Check with your child’s physician to see how they do this. CCGHD offers fingerstick testing with a physician’s order.

Take these steps to prevent your child from being exposed to lead in your home/environment:

1. Wash your child’s hands and toys, as well as their bottles, pacifiers, and any other items your child often puts in his or her mouth.
2. Regularly clean floors, windowsills, and dusty places with wet mops or wet cloths to pick up any dust. 
3. Use only cold tap water for making baby formula, drinking, and cooking. Let the water run for a few minutes before you use it.
4. Avoid certain products from other countries, such as health remedies, eye cosmetics (e.g. kohl, kajal, surma), candies, spices, snack foods, clay pots and dishes, painted toys, and children’s jewelry. 
5. Remove shoes before entering your home.
6. Remove work clothes before entering the house, for any household member who does construction or other work that may involve lead. Wash these clothes separately from other items.
7. Look out for peeling paint in houses built before 1978 (when lead was banned in house paint). 
8. Be careful during renovations. Keep your child away from renovation or maintenance work that disturbs paint, and make sure no paint chips or dust remain in the work area before your child enters