Believe it, lead exposure for children in Washington can be an issue.

When I was a kid growing up in Burien, nobody ever talked about lead pipes or exposure to lead. It was nothing that we thought about, of course I was a kid, the only thing I thought about was watching cartoons on the TV and sneaking down to the dime store to buy candy. 

Of course, now we know that lead poisoning is especially harmful to children and there are some areas in our country where they're still using lead pipes to transport drinking water. Also, there are still buildings that have lead based paint and although we don't talk about it much in Washington state, it is still an issue here. 

According to kuow.com,
‘“Living in a pre-1978 home and then living in a household where either the children themselves or family members were not born in the United States — I think those are two of the biggest risk factors [for lead exposure] here in Washington,” Dr. James Lewis said. Older homes might have chipped or peeling lead-based paint, and babies who are still crawling can pick up that paint on their hands and then put their hands in their mouths.’ 

Lead exposure in children is very difficult to see. Even small amounts of lead exposure over a long period of time can have serious Well documented Negative effects. 

 The CDC says.
‘Exposure to lead can seriously harm a child's health and cause well-documented adverse effects such as: 

• Damage to the brain and nervous system 

• Slowed growth and development 

• Learning and behavior problems 

• Hearing and speech problems 

This can cause: 

• Lower IQ 

• Decreased ability to pay attention 

• Underperformance in school’ 

 According to kuow.com,
‘Snohomish County’s health department has a detailed checklist to assess your child’s risk of lead exposure on their website.’ 

A simple blood test will tell you what you need to know. 

Protect your children. Protect yourself. 

KUOW - More Washington state kids are exposed to lead than we know
Lead Exposure Symptoms and Complications | Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention | CDC
Testing for Lead Poisoning in Children | Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention | CDC