Bottom line: Try not to let children put anything in their mouths unless you are positive it does not contain lead. I recognize that's a major challenge, but to be safe, look at everything with a skeptical eye. And educate older children about the things they can do to minimize their own lead exposure.
The Centers for Disease Control recommend that children aged one and two deemed to be at risk receive blood lead level tests. Until recently, the CDC recommended universal screening but scaled back that recommendation due to cost effectiveness in 1997. But because of the prevalence of lead in our environment, all children really are at risk. Some pediatricians conduct these tests, but many don't. If yours doesn't, you can and should request it. These simple tests have detected high lead levels in children never suspected of having lead poisoning.
Parents have to be vigilant about so many things. But don't let lead slip through the cracks. Our vigilance does make a difference!
Patty Bates-Ballard is a mother and writer who advocates respect for the earth and her people. The owner of WordSmooth, a Dallas-based communications company, Patty has written for Environmental Design & Construction Magazine, the American Association of Naturopathic Medical Colleges and World Press, among others.
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