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(KNOXVILLE, Tenn.) - Learning disabilities…behavioral problems…no, this isn’t another back-to-school, what’s wrong with our kids story. Learning disabilities and behavioral problems are among the many unpleasant outcomes of lead poisoning. This silent enemy of early childhood can also cause seizures, coma, and even death.

The recent recall of millions of toys made in China and contaminated with lead has sent parents digging through closets and toy chests, but according to a University of Tennessee Extension health educator, they should also be on the phone to their child’s pediatrician.

Courtney Niemann, the health educator for Tennessee’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, a collaboration of the Tennessee Department of Health and UT Extension, recommends concerned parents take their children to a doctor. “While there is no immediate emergency unless your child exhibits profound symptoms, if your child has played with a recalled toy, I recommend you have your child tested as soon as feasible,” she said.

Lead poisoning can affect nearly every system in the body. Because lead poisoning often occurs with no obvious symptoms, it frequently goes unrecognized. Lead exposure is particularly dangerous to children under six years of age because of their rapid growth and the tendency to put most things in their mouths.

“A blood lead test is the only way you can tell if your child has an elevated lead level,” Niemann said. “Most children with elevated blood lead levels have no symptoms.”

A child’s health care provider can recommend treatment if a child has been exposed to lead.

The TCLPPP also recommends parents follow the CDC’s guidelines for routinely monitoring a child’s exposure to lead by having the child’s blood tested at the 12-month and 24-month checkups.

A library of information on lead poisoning is available free of charge on the UT Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Web site: http://fcs.tennessee.edu/healthsafety/lead/pubs.htm. Follow the link to brochures and publications.

The information targets a variety of audiences including parents and families, health care professionals, child care providers, property owners/real estate professionals, and hobbyists (like those who fish).

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Contact:

Courtney Niemann, Tennessee Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, (865) 974-8178