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Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP)
What is CLPPP?
The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) follows children with abnormal or high blood lead levels. CLPPP receives reports of abnormal lead results from the State, the laboratories, or the physicians/clinics who have ordered the test. The program’s Public Health Nurses and Registered Environmental Health Specialist make home visits to families of affected children to try to find the source of lead and to provide education about lead poisoning. Program staff also coordinate health care for affected children, conduct follow-up visits when needed, and provide outreach and educational presentations to the community and professionals.
Parents who are concerned about childhood lead poisoning should talk to their child’s doctor. People who do not have a doctor may call the:
Lead testing is included
as part of a comprehensive Child Health
and Disability Prevention (CHDP) health check-up or visit.
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
P.O. Box 6099, Room 116-G
Santa Ana, CA 92706
Telephone (714) 834-8006
Fax (714) 834-7948
The problem with lead...
Some 400,000 American children aged one to five years have blood
lead levels higher than the level considered normal by the
Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. High blood lead levels are a
concern because they may cause harmful effects to a child’s
developing organ systems such as the kidneys, brain, liver, and
blood-forming tissues. This may affect a child’s ability to learn.
Very high blood levels can cause
devastating health consequences, including seizures, coma, and
even death. Children are much more vulnerable to lead poisoning
than adults because they put many kinds of items into their
mouths. Their bodies absorb up to 40% of the lead with which they
come into contact as opposed to only 10% absorbed by adults. Lead
enters the body through breathing or ingestion.
Possible sources of lead
The causes of lead exposure for recent Orange County cases included:
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living in an older home painted with lead-based paint
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powdered eye makeup, candy and ceramic pottery from other countries
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lead-based paint dust from a household contact’s work clothing
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a home remedy
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a crib painted with lead-based paint
Lead has also been found in other surprising places, such as:
Resources for Doctors and
Health Care Providers
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more information?
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