Watch: Testing Water for Lead in Head Start Facilities webinar recording

 

You can view the on-demand recording by selecting the link in the orange box below. The on-demand recording will be available until it has been archived on ECLKC.

Testing Water for Lead in Head Start Facilities

Select on links below to access: PDF of Slide Deck PDF of Slide Deck in Spanish Resources Handout Evaluation & Certificate

DHSS Mobile Unit Lead Screenings Oct 31-Nov 4, 2022

 

Community Health Services Mobile Unit
	Monday October 31	Tuesday November 1	Wednesday November 2	Thursday November 3	Friday November 4
New Castle County For more information, call:  302-283-7145	11 am - 3 pm Salem Shopping Center 1635 Pulaski Hwy, Bear, DE 19701	11 am - 3 pm Save A Lot 714 S Maryland Ave, Wilmington, DE 19805	11 am - 3 pm Adam’s Four Shopping Center 800 W 4th St, Wilmington, DE 19801	11 am - 3 pm Evans House 2412 Thatcher Street Wilmington, DE 19802	11 am - 3 pm Dollar General 57 Marrows Rd, Newark, DE 19713
Kent County For more information, call: 302-857-5100	10 am - 3 pm Eagle Meadows 4666 Carolina Ave, Dover, DE 19901	9 am - 3 pm NorthNode Group Counseling  1609 South State Street, Dover, DE 19901	10 am - 3 pm Friendship House 1203 E. Division Street, Dover, DE 19901	9 am - 3 pm Mt. Enon Baptist Church 600 Church Street, Milford, DE 19963	9 am - 3 pm Spence’s Bazaar 550 S. New Street, Dover, DE 19901
Sussex County For more information, call: 302-515-3208	10 am - 3 pm Shepherd’s Office 408 N Bedford St, Georgetown, DE 19947	10 am - 3 pm Milford Wellness Village 21 W Clarke Ave Suite #1050, Milford, DE 19963	10 am - 3 pm Dunbarton Apartments 1309 Dunbarton Apartments, Georgetown, DE 19947	10 am - 3 pm Meadowbridge Apartments 500 Findley Way Unit 101, Seaford, DE 19973	10 am - 1 pm Ace Peer Resource Center 547 N Bradford St, Seaford, DE 19973

Community Health Services Mobile Unit

Division of Public Health/DHSS will perform:

• Blood Lead Testing (Capillary Fingerstick Screening)

• HIV Testing, counseling and referral

• Covid- 19 Testing 

• Covid-19 Vaccinations

• Flu Shots

• Clinical and Community Resource Connections

Mobile Unit is wheelchair accessible

Vaccination and testing require patient and/or guardian consent.  

No appointment is necessary; walk-ins are welcome.

Childhood Lead Screening Now at the Following State Service Centers

Lead screening is now available by appointment only for insured and uninsured children of all ages, including older children, at the following State Service Centers.

• Hudson State Service Center, Public Health Clinic: 501 Ogletown Road, Newark DE 19711, 302-283-5757 ext. 3
• Porter State Service Center, Public Health Clinic:  509 W. 8th St., Wilmington DE 19801, 302-777-2860
• Williams State Service Center, Public Health Clinic: 805 River Rd., Dover DE 19901, 302-857-5140
• Milford State Service Center at the Riverwalk, Public Health Clinic:  253 NE Front St., Milford DE 19963, 302-424-7140
• Thurman Adams State Service Center, Public Health Clinic:  544 S. Bedford St., Georgetown DE 19947, 302-515-3174
• Anna C. Shipley State Service Center, Public Health Clinic:  350 Virginia Ave., Seaford DE 19973, 302-628-6772 

Childhood Lead Screening:  Next Steps

Delaware’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act requires that all children be screened for lead at 12 months of age, and again at 24 months of age.  Proof of screening is required for enrollment in childcare and kindergarten. 

While there is no safe level of lead in children’s blood, capillary screening results 3.5 µg/dL or higher are considered “elevated” and require further action. 

Step 1.  Confirmatory Test.  Capillary screening results 3.5 µg/dL or higher require a confirmatory venous test.  Please contact your child’s primary care physician for this confirmatory venous blood lead test and bring this form with you to this appointment. 

The CDC’s recommended schedule for obtaining a confirmatory venous test is as follows and becomes more urgent with higher screening results:

• 3.5 to 9.9 µg/dL - testing within 1 to 3 months

• 10 to 44 µg/dL - testing within 1 week to 1 month

• 45 to 59 µg/dL - testing within 48 hours

• 60 to 69 µg/dL - testing within 24 hours

If the venous test confirms an elevated blood lead level, follow-up testing to track changes to the blood lead level may be necessary.

Step 2.  Identify and Remove the Source of Exposure.  Lead can be found in numerous places in the home and in a child’s environment, including lead dust from peeling paint, contaminated soil, drinking water (pipes/solder), vintage dinnerware as recent as 2005, certain food items, imported spices, imported cookware, imported makeup, costume jewelry, toys, imported supplements, and more.  

Delaware’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program will mail a packet of information to assist parents in identifying the source of exposure, and families may receive a free home risk assessment if the confirmatory venous test is 10 µg/dL or higher.

Residents of certain zip codes in New Castle County may be eligible for home remediation.  The No Lead program addresses and remediates lead hazards in homes within 5 zip codes:  19703, 19720, 19801,19802, 19805, and 19806. Households with children under the age of 6, with pregnant women, or those built before 1978 may be eligible. https://www.newcastlede.gov/1982/Lead-and-Healthy-Home-Programs 

Step 3.  Importance of Diet.  Feed children healthy, low-fat foods high in iron, calcium, and vitamin C, which helps prevent lead from being absorbed.  Because lead is more easily absorbed on an empty stomach, more frequent small meals are recommended.

Step 4.  Early Education.  Early education exercises the brain, builds neural networks, and can help overcome the cognitive effects of lead poisoning.  All Delaware children ages birth to three years with a confirmatory venous test of 5 µg/dL or higher are automatically eligible for early intervention services.  

Contact Child Development Watch: 

Kent and Sussex County: 800-752-9393 

New Castle County: 800-671-0050 

https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/birthtothree/

Additional Resources for Childhood Lead Poisoning:

Delaware’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program https://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/hsp/lead.html 

Federal Recalls:  Consumer Product Safety Commission

Type “lead poisoning” into the search box.

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls 

CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/default.htm 

Recall of Butterfly Net Sets due to lead

Name of Product: Butterfly Net Sets and Army Action Figure Playsets

Hazard:

Components of the recalled butterfly net sets and the action figure playsets contain levels of certain phthalates and lead that exceed the federal phthalate and lead content standards. Phthalates and lead are toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health issues.

Remedy: Refund

Recall Date: October 20, 2022

Units: About 22,500 butterfly net sets and 4,500 action figure playsets

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2023/Juvo-Plus-Recalls-Childrens-Butterfly-Net-Sets-and-Army-Action-Figure-Playsets-Due-to-Violations-of-Federal-Phthalates-and-Lead-Content-Bans-Recall-Alert

Red Clay School Board approves complaint to EPA about lead testing program in public schools

On October 19, 2022 the Red Clay School Board approved the following complaint to the EPA regarding the mishandling of communication by the Department of Education and Department of Health and Social Services in the drinking water in Delaware public schools. We extend our gratitude to school board members Jose Mathews, Kecia T Nesmith, Adriana L Bohm, and Victor Leonard, Sr. for taking action about this important issue.

Click here to download the complaint.

Sign our petition about lead in drinking water in Delaware Schools

 

Please help us by signing our petition to get joint committee hearings in the house and senate
on the problem with lead-contaminated drinking water in Delaware schools, and by sharing
it with your networks: 
Click here for the petition. 

As you have likely read in The News Journal, Delaware’s Public School drinking water situation is alarming.

Lead contamination has been found at numerous schools statewide, yet no public statements have been made by any legislators about this issue. Instead, Delaware Health and Social Services and Delaware Department of Education have pointed fingers at the School Districts, while children and families have no answers on this issue.

We are outraged at the lack of parent and community notification about the risks of lead poisoning, the failure to notify students and school employees who were at risk for lead poisoning in their school drinking water of the importance of blood lead screening and testing, and the extended delay in making this information available to the public.

We are asking for information, clarification of our questions, and accountability about this problem and how it will be corrected so that the drinking water in every public school is safe.
We are requesting a joint House-Senate Hearing of the Health and Education Committees.

We ask that you sign and share this broadly with your networks.
 
Please help us by signing the petition and by sharing it widely with your networks.
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-for-joint-hearing-on-lead-poisoning-in-schools?source=direct_link& 

Recall: U.P. Fashion Children’s Rings Due to Violation of Federal Lead Content Ban

 

Name of Product:

Children’s Rings

Hazard:

The metal base of the ring contains levels of lead that exceed the federal lead content ban. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health issues.

Remedy:

Refund

Recall Date:

October 13, 2022

Units:

About 1,800

U.P. Fashion Recalls Children’s Rings Due to Violation of Federal Lead Content Ban | CPSC.gov

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2023/U-P-Fashion-Recalls-Childrens-Rings-Due-to-Violation-of-Federal-Lead-Content-Ban

Webinar Oct 26 on Testing Water for Lead in Head Start Facilities

 

Testing Water for Lead in Head Start Facilities 

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022 
1:30–2:30 p.m. ET 

Register Online Now!

There is no known safe level of lead exposure for children. The only way to know whether tap water contains lead is to test it. Head Start and child care programs have a critical role in reducing lead exposure in children. In this webinar, speakers from the Office of Head Start (OHS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Center on Health, Behavioral Health, and Safety (NCHBHS) focus on how to detect lead in drinking water. The webinar also explores interactive tools and resources and identifies ways to access financial support for mitigation efforts. 

This webinar is offered with simultaneous interpretation in Spanish.

 

Key Topics 

In this webinar, we’re discussing:

• Recognizing common sources of water contamination
• Implementing a program of training, testing, and taking action
• Identifying resources and accessing state and federal funds to mitigate lead in drinking water

 

Target Audience

This webinar benefits:

• Head Start and Early Head Start program staff, families, directors, managers, and administrators
• Home visitors
• Child care health consultants
•  Infant and early childhood mental health consultants
• Head Start federal staff
• Head Start TTA staff
• Head Start Collaboration Office directors

 

How to Register 

Select the link to register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_taIwCplPRlKgs4XtS4NyYA

Related Resources

Explore related resources on the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) to learn more.

• Lead Poisoning Prevention
• Lead and Our Children: The Role of Early Care and Education Programs
• Lead Poisoning

All ECLKC pages are translated into Spanish. Select the Español button on the top right corner to see the Spanish translation.

 

MillerKnoll Recalls Desk and Storage Units Due to Violation of the Federal Lead Paint Ban; Lead Poisoning Hazard

 

Name of Product:

Eames Desk Units and Eames Storage Units

Hazard:

The surface paint on the tan side panels of the desks and storage units contains levels of lead that exceed the federal lead paint ban, posing a lead poisoning hazard. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.

Remedy:

Refund

Repair

Recall Date:

October 06, 2022

Units:

About 700

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2023/MillerKnoll-Recalls-Desk-and-Storage-Units-Due-to-Violation-of-the-Federal-Lead-Paint-Ban-Lead-Poisoning-Hazard-Recall-Alert 

Westside Family Health Care conducts lead screenings at vaccine clinics on Saturdays in October

 

Westside Family Health Care will conduct lead screening at their vaccine clinics in October!

All clinics are 9:00AM – 12:00 PM

• October 15th, 2022, 9:00AM – 12:00 PM – 4th Street, 1802 W. 4th Street, Wilmington, DE 19805
• October 22nd, 2022, 9:00AM – 12:00 PM – Dover, 1020 Forrest Avenue, Dover, DE 19904
• October 29th, 2022, 9:00AM – 12:00 PM – Bear, 404 Fox Run Drive, Bear, DE 19701

Learn more at https://www.westsidehealth.org/covid-19/vaccines/

Recall: BE Jewel Accessories Recalls Children’s Hairclips Due to Violation of Federal Lead Content Ban

 

Name of Product:

Children’s Bowtie Hairclips

Hazard:

The crystals on the hairclip contain levels of lead that exceed the federal lead content ban. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health issues.

Remedy:

Refund

Recall Date:

September 29, 2022

Units:

About 1,200

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2022/BE-Jewel-Accessories-Recalls-Childrens-Hairclips-Due-to-Violation-of-Federal-Lead-Content-Ban