Lead Paint
A group of doctors, lawyers, and advocacy groups in Indiana are pushing the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) to lower the state's blood sampling threshold that triggers aid for children suffering lead poisoning, The Times of Northwest Indiana reports. The push comes with Indiana's older housing stock in mind, where lead paint is often the culprit in higher observed blood lead levels.
Neighborhoods in Gary, Michigan City, East Chicago, Hammond, and Whiting have recorded some of the highest rates of lead-poisoned children in the region and the state, thanks to the area's aged housing stock and legacy of contamination from industry.
Since 2012, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have used a blood lead threshold of 5 micrograms per deciliter for children under the age of 6, recommending testing, an environmental assessment to identify potential sources of lead and nutritional and development counseling at that level.
Despite the change, Indiana and at least 18 other states still rely on a threshold of 10 mcg/dl, or twice as high as the CDC recommendation, before they qualify a child for case management.
In 2016, 359 children had a blood lead screening greater than 10 mcg/dl statewide, whereas 1,655 children had a blood lead screening above 5 but less than 10, according to ISDH data.
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