Lead Hazard Reduction in Bulloch County - A Rural Community-Based Program

Childhood lead poisoning is a serious health problem for the US and for Georgia. Lead is a neurotoxin with health impacts that include brain, kidney and bone marrow damage, reduced IQ, impaired learning abilities, and behavioral problems. The blood lead level (BLL) (i.e., the level of lead in the blood) which is denoted as elevated and is the State of Georgia's action level for initiating education with families of children presenting with this blood lead level is 10ug/dL. However, adverse effects begin well below this level. This study focused on the children presenting at Bulloch County Head Start with blood lead levels <10ug/dL. The study (1) determined the levels of lead to which the high risk families are exposed by measuring indoor lead levels indoor environmental samples, (2) correlated levels of exposure with child blood lead levels taking measurements pre and post intervention and education strategies (3) trained the parents of high-risk families to identify lead hazards in the house, (4) educated the parents of high-risk families on lead impacts, importance of early intervention, and exposure reduction/prevention strategies, (5) provided the resources to high-risk families to conduct intervention strategies themselves, and (6) highlighted networks within the community to support lead hazard exposure reduction. The program effectiveness will be evaluated and would inform us on the efficacy of an expanded education and outreach effort. The results are currently being analyzed and will inform us on the effectiveness of in-home and community-based programs to reduce childhood blood lead levels.