You can prevent lead poisoning

National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is October 21-27.

News this summer that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled millions of toys after determining they contained excessive amounts of lead recently elevated the issue of childhood lead poisoning in the United States.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control estimates nearly half a million children living in the U.S. have blood lead levels high enough to cause significant damage to their health.

"Despite the ever-threatening presence of lead in the environment today, lead poisoning is entirely preventable," Paul Kuehnert, Executive Director of the Kane County Health Department said in a prepared statement. "There are many ways parents can reduce a child's exposure to lead. First and foremost, hazards in a child's environment must be identified and controlled or removed safely."

Sources of lead include: dust and chips from paint in homes built before 1978; ground soil; various imported goods, such as toys, Mexican candy, traditional ceramics, children's jewelry; some drinking water; folk remedies.

The Kane County Health Department was invited by Illinois Department of Public Health to showcase its Lead Program at the State of Illinois Thompson Building.

Other participating agencies include the City of Chicago, Cook County Health Department, City of Evanston, University of Illinois, Great Lakes Training Center, USEPA among others for "Lead Poisoning Prevention Week" at the State of Illinois Thompson Building.

More information about preventing childhood lead poisoning is available from the Kane County Health Department, (630) 208-3801, or www.Kanehealth.com.