Lead Screening

I talked to my naturopathic doctor about lead testing, because I wanted to test Conner for heavy metals and figured this would be a good thing to do to. I am so paranoid because I let them give Conner his first round of shots before I knew better and I was really upset about it. He told me that any amounts of lead, etc... in him at this point were going to be low and no cause for concern. He said he would happily do the test, but detoxing him, etc.... wouldn't be necessary. So, I guess what I am trying to say is just be careful with what you expose her too, and I'm sure we will be ok. We stopped using plastics (because of BPA, etc...), teflon, etc... and we use all natural, organic cleaners so that I can feel better about what he is getting exposed to. Good luck!

N., My son was also tested via blood draw for lead. The docotr just told me he was negative adn that there was nothing to worry about. Later I got actual copies for the lead test 2.0. I have not used the home lead tests but have heard mixed reviews about the accuracy of them. I would check with your local athourites about what to do if you live in a house with lead paint. Good luck.

Hi N.,
I had my son tested for lead because my partner works in home remodeling and often works with lead-based products. I was concerned that he might be bringing lead contaminanted clothes and tools home and that my son could have been exposed to them. Our ped had bloodwork done for my son at his first birthday and said that the levels of lead were so low they were almost nonexistent, far < 1. I feel confident that this testing was accurate, it was done by the same lab that has completed all of my bloodwork for years.

I have never used the lead detector kits, I don't have any advice to offer about those. Good luck with your search, I am sure that you will make good decisions for your daughter!

If you own your own home are low income and have a child under 6 yrs. old in the house I believe there is a program that will test your house and replace objects with lead in them for free.
Do you guys fall in this category? I'm not sure of the organizations name, but I'll look into it for you if you would like. We personally missed out because our younger daughter just turned 6! DARN!

N.,
I have an adopted daughter from China. Her lead level was 16 when she first came to us and within six months it was 9. After we got the testing done that showed it was below 10 we have not felt the need to test her again. She is now 4 years old and has developed into a healthy, happy, and quite advanced child who loves art and doing school at home. I did a lot of research on lead and while a level of 4.3 may seem to be alarming it is well within the zone of safety. Taking the measures to look around your house and getting rid of lead paint should be quite helpful. I would also remember to evaluate toys for their safety as many children were exposed to lead from toys made in China. After being in China, I know that they have very high levels of lead in many of their water systems and I am sure that is one of the reasons that their toys are so contaminted. You can look to get information from public health about lead poisoning and how to get rid of contamination in the home. Hope this helps.

Check with Home Depot before going any further but, I seem to remember that anything that tested positive for lead had to be sanded down to completely remove the lead paint and this must be down in a sealed off room and you must wear a mask and gloves..
Also you can check with HAZMAT (sp).