Lead Poisoning in Dallas County

Module 3 Blog Post

Part 1

In comparison to the rest of the country, Texas has a somewhat lower percentage of residential structures built between 1950 and 1979 and nearly half as many pre-1950 residential structures. This is regarded as a result of the recent population increase in Texas and the significant number of brand-new homes that have been constructed. However, more than 50% of Texas' residential buildings were constructed prior to 1980 and may contain lead-based paint. Of them, 10% (780,000) were constructed before 1950 and may contain extremely high levels of lead contamination (DSHS, 2016).

Based on the proportion of pre-1950 housing, the number of people living in poverty, and the number of people under the age of six, TX CLPPP and its local partners have identified three cities in Texas as having the highest risk for incidence of lead poisoning among children under the age of 72 months (DSHS, 2016). Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio were named as the cities with the highest risk based on these characteristics. In 2010, tests for lead poisoning were conducted on 18% of Texas' 2.3 million children. Of the 416,000 kids examined, 2,322 kids, or roughly.6 percent, had blood lead levels that were found to be elevated (classified as 10 mcg/dL), while another 2.8 percent had blood lead levels between 5 and 9 mcg/dL (DSHS, 2016). As evidence of the program's efficacy, trends in the percentage of children having these blood lead levels are declining.

 

                                                                                                                                                                             

Data on increased and undetected blood lead levels for adults and children who live in the State of Texas are collected and stored by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance Program (ABLES), which includes individuals 15 years of age and older, is responsible for maintaining the data on adult blood lead levels. The Texas Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (TXCLPPP), which includes individuals from 0 to 14 years of age, maintains blood lead statistics on children. There is "no safe blood lead level in children," according to the Centers for Disease Control. "The CDC recommends public health interventions be started at a reference level greater than 5 g/dl. The Healthy People 2020 goals include eliminating blood lead levels more than or equal to 10 g/dL and variations in average risk based on race and social class as public health problems (CDC, 2018). The CDC's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program is dedicated to these goals. All medical facilities, including clinics, hospitals, doctors, and laboratories, are required to report elevated and non-elevated blood lead levels to the Texas Department of State Health Services in accordance with Texas Administrative Code, Title 25, Part1, Chapter 37, Rule 37.334 (for adults) and Texas Administrative Code, Title 25, Part1, Chapter 99, Rule 99.1 (for children) (CDC, 2018).

Part 2

    In this video, Dr. Paul All wood from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains the serious diseases caused by lead and prevention programs for lead poisoning. 

Prompt:

What are your thoughts about the video from Dr. Paul All wood in prevention programs from CDC?

Reference:

1. Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS, 2016), cited from  https://dshs.texas.gov/lead/child.shtm 

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lead., 2018. cited from

 https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/