LeadConfirm Professional, the Only Oral-Based Lead Testing Product Today, Is Released to More Distributors in Mississippi
SAN DIEGO, CA (PR Web) – June 03, 2009- LeadConfirm Professional, the first and only non-invasive and oral-based lead testing product in the market today, is now available to more doctors and health care professionals in Mississippi through a wider distribution base.
Confirm BioSciences Inc., the company behind the development of LeadConfirm Professional, reports that the lead testing product can now be purchased conveniently from various reputable online stores such as Amazon.com and TestCountry.com. All that a buyer needs to do is to visit the website, place the order, and then wait for the product to be delivered to them within a few days.
LeadConfirm Professional is a testing product that checks if the body is affected by lead contamination and by how much. The testing is done using saliva collected through an FDA-approved device. The saliva is then placed in vials and sent to the Confirm BioSciences laboratories in a prepaid envelope included in the testing kit.
To test for lead contamination in the body using saliva samples, Confirm BioSciences utilizes advanced technology in Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with Mass Spectrometry X2 (LC/MS/MS). The results are available within five to six business days. The patient can get these results online or through telephone.
Representatives from Confirm BioSciences stated that there is a huge need for the public to have better products for testing lead among children in Mississippi. This is what prompted the company to make LeadConfirm Professional open to a broader distribution base.
Zeynep Ilgaz, president and CEO of Confirm BioSciences, said: “There is a tremendous need for this product, as lead poisoning is a major issue in our society.”
“This test will be available to the professional market and through doctors’ offices for individuals who would like to have their levels checked,” Ms. Ilgaz added. Ms. Ilgaz is a mother of two.
Statistics from the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration back up this need for more accessible lead testing products such as LeadConfirm Professional. In the United States alone, there are more than a million workers in at least 100 different jobs who are exposed to lead on a daily basis. These include people employed in manufacturing plants making ceramic tiles and batteries. Lead exposure also affects people working as mechanics, painters, welders and other related jobs.
People in manufacturing and related service jobs are not the only ones who are likely candidates for high levels of lead exposure. It is possible for children staying at home to have industrial levels of lead in the body. Children can be exposed to lead from urban dust, from food and from breathing lead particles in the air.
According to 2000 Housing Characteristic data from U.S. Census Bureau, 135,350 homes in Mississippi was built prior to 1950, with renter-occupied pre-1950 houses estimated at 34,851. The 2000 U.S. Census data for Mississippi also indicated that 19.9% of the population lived in poverty, compared to a national average of 12.4%. Living in older, deteriorated housing and lower income status are associated with increased risk of elevated blood lead levels
The primary source of lead exposure among children is from lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust and soil that are found in and around old, deteriorating buildings. Since lead does not naturally breakdown, in order to remove risk the lead must be taken out of the source. Lead poisoning statistics indicate the number of families residing in housing still containing a high percentage of lead in the paint to be substantial, with more than one-fifth of African American children living in housing built before 1946 found to have elevated blood lead levels.
Despite the older homes still containing paint with dangerous amounts of lead in it housing both adults and children, the lead poisoning statistics show children are the most affected. Children are much more susceptible to the dangers of lead because they have not yet fully developed. In addition, children are much more likely to play on the ground, transferring dust containing lead, and frequently put their hands into their mouths, allowing lead ingestion to occur.
Recent statistical data has shown that Hattiesburg, Mississippi has the highest proportion of children with elevated blood lead levels in the state.
Researchers analyzed 42,372 records of children in Mississippi from January 1999-2003 and found that 2,446 had high blood lead levels that exceeded 10 units. Hattiesburg had the highest proportion of childhood blood lead levels.
High Risk Areas for Lead Poisoning by County Level, Mississippi 2006
• Hinds County: # Children Tested 4454, Total #Lead Poisoning Confirmed Cases 51
• Jones County: # Children Tested 1309; Total #Lead Poisoning Confirmed Cases 40
• Lauderdale County: # Children Tested 1006; Total #Lead Poisoning Confirmed Cases 25
• Leflore County: # Children Tested 1113; Total #Lead Poisoning Confirmed Cases 21
• Coahoma County: # Children Tested 1009; Total #Lead Poisoning Confirmed Cases 14
• Forrest County: # Children Tested 1695; Total #Lead Poisoning Confirmed Cases 16
• Copiah County: # Children Tested 491; Total #Lead Poisoning Confirmed Cases 10
Data analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Based on 2000 US Census data.
Lead exposure is particularly dangerous for children. It can result in anemia, learning disabilities, speech delays, attention deficit disorders, mental retardation, hearing loss, and different forms of renal and neurological damage.
Typically, lead testing products require blood samples from the patient. This is often difficult if the patient to be tested is a child. In such cases, it is more effective to use saliva samples instead of blood samples. Researchers from the Department of Health in North Carolina proved that saliva tests are just as conclusive as blood tests in determining lead levels in a person’s body.
Confirm BioSciences is a respected provider of diagnostic drugs and testing kits, including LeadConfirm Professional. More information on Confirm BioSciences is available at www.confirmbiosciences.com.
Confirm BioSciences Inc.
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