Lead Poisoning in MISSOURI (MO)
Lead poisoning is one of the most common and preventable environmental health problems today. An estimated one million children have elevated blood lead levels of at least 10 micrograms per deciliter (10 µg/dl) in the U.S. According to 2003 Missouri blood lead testing data, three thousand children under the age of six, were identified with elevated blood lead levels in the state.
Lead mining and smelting is an important part of Missouri’s history. Lead in Missouri was first discovered along the Meramac River by French explorers in the 1700s, while searching for gold and silver. Missouri became the dominant lead-producing state in the nation in 1907. It has remained number one ever since.
Lead is a shiny silver colored metal found naturally in the earth’s crust. Lead has been used in our society in a variety of ways including in paints, gasoline, and some vinyl products, such as mini-blinds. Processed or recycled lead can become a health hazard. Fine particles of processed or recycled lead and/or lead dust become a health hazard when they are taken into the body through inhalation (breathing) and/or ingestion (swallowing).
In High-Risk areas the following activities shall occur:
Any child under the age of six years living in or visiting for 10 hours per week or more, the high-risk area, will tested annually for lead.
Day care facilities are required to record a “proof of lead testing” signed by the Health Care Provider performing the test within thirty (30) days of the child’s enrolment. If the parent/guardian does not provide it or a written statement stating why they do not want the child tested, the Day Care Facility is to offer the parent assistance in scheduling a test.
Any child found to be at High-Risk, is living in a residence that was built before 1978, and is undergoing renovation, may be tested every six months and once following completion of the work (also applies to children found to be at high-risk in non high-risk areas).
Health Effects of Lead Exposure
CHILDREN
| Low Level Exposure | High Level Exposure |
| Behavior disorders | Abdominal pain |
| Learning disabilities | Anemia |
| Hyperactivity | Encephalopathy (swelling of brain) |
| Growth failure | Unexplained seizures |
| Developmental delay | |
| Hearing loss |
FACT: In 2003, at least 3,000 Missouri children under the age of six tested positive for high blood lead levels.
St. Louis is one of many US cities which have failed to effectively confront a major health danger. Thousands of children in St. Louis now suffer from lead poisoning, which is a totally preventable cause of brain damage. About 29% of African Americans and 16% of white children who are tested in the city have levels greater than ten micrograms per decilitre—the federal definition of “poisoned.” Nationally, 2.2% of children suffer from lead poisoning. In some African American neighbourhoods in north St. Louis, 55% of the children are poisoned! Lead poisoning leads to intellectual impairment in children including decreased intelligence and increased behaviour disorders.
More than 140,000 housing units in St. Louis are contaminated with lead paint, according to the health department, and the problem is worse than it was when the lead prevention programs were implemented thirty years ago. In 2000, 31 percent of the tested children under age six in St. Louis suffered from lead poisoning; the highest rates of new cases are clustered in the African-American community.
High Risk Areas for Lead Poisoning by County Level, Missouri 2006
St. Louis city: # Children Tested 12.637, Total #Lead Poisoning Confirmed Cases 712
St. Louis County: # Children Tested, 13453, Total # Lead Poisoning Confirmed Cases 132
Jackson County: # Children Tested 10,304, Total # Lead Poisoning Confirmed Cases 123
Buchanan County: # Children Tested 878, Total # Lead Poisoning Confirmed Cases 26
St. Francois County: # Children Tested 1001, Total # Lead Poisoning Confirmed Cases 21
Jasper County: # Children Tested 2652, Total # Lead Poisoning Confirmed Cases 24
Marion County: # Children Tested 689, Total # Lead Poisoning Confirmed Cases 14
Saline County: # Children Tested 484, Total # Lead Poisoning Confirmed Cases 10
Data analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Based on 2000 US Census data.
