Lead Poison Prevention Program

The childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program is located at Patee Market Center at 10th & Olive Streets in St. Joseph, Missouri. The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program offers free lead screenings up to six years of age. Children whose blood lead level report is 20 or above receive a free environmental assessment of their house, and a home nurse visits children with elevated blood lead levels of 15 or above.

All services are free of charge to Buchanan County residents. Hours are Monday-Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. Please call (816) 271-5328 with any questions regarding lead testing or how to safely remove lead paint. Keep your children lead free so they can stay healthy and grow up happy.

Outside of Buchanan County, contact Missouri Department of Health at (800) 575-9267.

For more information, visit the following web sites:

Services Provided
Lead Testing is offered by appointment. Call 271-4728.

Educational programs are offered by appointment for children's groups, daycare centers, schools, parent groups, and other professionals at 271-5328.

If you are remodeling a home built before 1978 and would like to receive a book on lead safe remodeling or speak to an environmentalist call 271-4694.

In home nursing visits are provided to a child with blood lead levels of 15 or greater.

Nutritional Services are provided through WIC to families who qualify.

Parent Information
Follow these tips to reduce the amount of lead dust in your home. These steps will not remove the lead that exists in your home. It will only decrease the amount of lead dust, paint chips, and contaminated soil.

Teaching Good hand washing skills is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child to prevent toxins like lead and germs getting into their bodies that make them sick. Remember, the best way to teach is by example!>

Hand Washing: Children should wash their hands after toileting, playing outside and before eating and going to bed.
Testing: Most lead poisoned children do not appear sick. The only way to know if your child is lead poisoned is through a blood test.
Wet Dusting and Mopping: Use 1/8 of a cup of automatic powdered dish soap to 1 gallon water. Wash out window sills with a strong paper towel and mop floors with solution.
Vacuum: Vacuum carpets twice weekly with a Hepa - Vacuum Sweeper. Do not allow vacuum bag to become over full.
Toys: Wash toys in sink weekly with soap and water to remove any lead dust or
dirt.
Outside Safety: Only allow child to play in grassy areas of the yard and away from chipping paint. Leave outdoor shoes at the door.

A Child's Story
Jennifer was 10 years old and her little brother Craig was only three. Their mom and dad had just moved into an old house where lead paint had been used on the walls. To make the house look better they decided to do some remodeling and renovations. They scraped paint off of the walls, and sanded and scraped the floors.

They had not lived in the house very long when Craig started getting sick. His tummy would ache. He was having a hard time thinking about things that he was learning to do. He could not run and play without getting tired. The whole family worried about him. But they did not know what to do.

The next week at school Jennifer's teacher, Mrs. Thomas taught the class about lead poisoning. She told them children less then six years old get lead poisoning much easier because of their small bodies and because they like to put things in their mouth. She told them that if a house has lead paint, the lead could become dust when opening and closing windows. When small children crawl or play in lead dust and put things in their mouth, the lead can get into them. She also told them that paint outside the house could chip off and get into the dirt and soil around the house. When children play outside, they can eat the dirt, or get dirt on their hands and then put their hands in their mouths. Other ways that lead gets into children is by water pipes that have lead in them. The only way to know if your home has lead based paint is to have it tested.

Mrs. Thomas told the class that they should was their hands a lot, especially before eating. It's also important to keep places where small children play clean so they will not get lead in them. One way to do this is to make sure that dust is wiped with a wet towel or mop.

Jennifer remembered that her mom and dad were working on their house and their was a lot of dust around. She also knew that her house was old, and that it might have lead paint in it. She hurried home from school that day and told her mom and dad what she had learned.

Mom took Craig to the doctor the next day to get him test for lead poisoning. The doctor took a little bit of blood from Craig's finger and had it tested for lead. The test showed that Craig had lead poisoning and the doctor told them what they should do to make him better.

Mom and dad made sure Craig drank lots of milk, fruit and food with iron in them. They also cleaned the house with a wet towel or mop, and made sure that there was not much dust in the house. They washed Craig's hands when he came in from playing outside, before he ate, and when he took his naps.

In just a few weeks Craig was feeling better and when he went back to the doctor, the lead in his blood was almost gone.

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