The Burlington County Health Department and Virtua Community Nursing Services will be conducting a community child lead screening at the Riverside Firehouse located at 14 W Scott St, Riverside, NJ 08075 on Friday, May 10 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
“In an effort to get even more children screened, we have partnered with Virtua to host additional opportunities for families to have their children screened for elevated blood lead levels. With a community screening in Riverside this month,” said Burlington County Health Department Director Dr. Herb Conaway. “Early identification of lead toxicity means more timely intervention to prevent the devastating, life-long effects of lead exposure. We are hoping parents take advantage of this program.”
In addition to the community lead screening, child lead screenings will take place at the Burlington County Health Department throughout the month of May.
The CDC estimates that at least 4 million US households have children living in them that are being exposed to high levels of lead, and approximately half a million US children age 1-5 years have blood lead levels above 5 μg/dl, the reference level at which CDC recommends public health actions be initiated. The primary exposure to lead in children in the United States is through lead-based paint, but unknown to many, lead is also in many products, such as makeup, toys, jewelry, zippers and imported ceramics (plates, bowls, mugs).
The child lead screenings will take place at the Burlington County Health Department, 15 Pioneer Blvd., Westampton, NJ 08060. The dates and times for the walk-in screenings are as follows:
- Tuesday, May 7, 2019 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
- Monday, May 13, 2019 from 9 a.m. to noon.
- Tuesday, May 14, 2019 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
- Monday, May 20, 2019 from 9 a.m. to noon.
- Tuesday, May 28, 2019 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Appointments also available upon request by calling (609) 914-8550.
For questions about lead in the home, call the national hotline 1-800-424-LEAD (5323). Other resources include the Southern Regional Lead and Healthy Homes Coalition at (856) 665-6000, the Burlington County Health Department Lead Program at (609) 265-5515 and the state of New Jersey Lead Safe program https://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dhcr/offices/leadsafe.html.
