JOANNA GAGIS, CORRESPONDENT | DECEMBER 30, 2021 | HEALTH CARE
Fewer kids were tested for lead in 2020, the latest year for which data is available.
New Jersey is seeing an increase in the number of children with elevated levels of lead in their blood. The pandemic forced many kids to spend additional time at home where they may have been exposed to lead paint. Many kids have skipped yearly checkups and not been tested for lead exposure. Health officials and advocates are urging parents to get their children screened.
Dr. Siobhan Pappas, coordinator at NJ’s Childhood Lead Program says, “It can affect your kidneys, your eyes, your liver. It affects the wiring of the brain and how the brain thinks. It can affect memory; it can affect whether or not a child will be hyperactive, have difficulty learning, retaining information, being in school.”
See source: https://www.njspotlightnews.org/video/advocates-urge-parents-to-get-children-screened-for-lead-exposure/
