CHILDHOOD LEAD POISONING PREVENTION PROGRAM (CLPPP)

Childhood lead poisoning is a significant environmental health problem, yet it is entirely preventable. Lead poisoning prevents children from reaching their full potential. Children ages six years old and younger are particularly susceptible to the effects of lead poisoning. Ingestion of lead, through hand-to-mouth behavior, is the primary pathway of exposure.

Elevated blood lead levels (equal to or higher than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood) in children (17 or younger) became a reportable condition in Oregon in 1991. In 1992 Oregon received funding from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish a Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (OCLPPP). The program continues to be fully funded by CDC and receives over 20,000 blood lead test reports per year. Since development of the childhood blood lead surveillance system approximately 3,000 Oregon children have been identified with elevated blood lead levels.

The mission of our program is to eliminate childhood lead poisoning by identifying and caring for lead poisoned children, and preventing environmental exposures to lead.

The objectives of our program are to:

• Provide education to increase awareness of lead poisoning.
• Monitor blood lead levels in children throughout Oregon.
• Identify children with lead poisoning and determine how they are being exposed to lead.
• Ensure that children with elevated blood lead levels receive appropriate care.
• Provide technical assistance to community members, medical providers and county health departments.
• Develop strategies to prevent childhood exposure to lead.

Program accomplishments:

• In 2003, an Oregon child was hospitalized for lead poisoning after swallowing a toy medallion from a necklace purchased from a vending machine. Investigation and follow-up by our program resulted in the largest Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recall and a change in policy that now require testing of toys for lead.
• OCLPPP funds and supports the statewide lead poisoning prevention phone service for Oregonians (The LeadLine).
• Our program partnered with Oregon Childhood Development Coalition (migrant Head Start program) and blood tested over 3,500 migrant children.
• We worked with Oregon Poison Center to improve protocols for responding to possible lead ingestion cases.
• OCLPPP was instrumental in developing and implementing the Oregon National Electronic Disease Surveillance System-Electronic Lab Reporting Program.

Program Highlights:

Oregon Childhood Lead Poisoning Elimination Plan (pdf)

Oregon Childhood Lead Screening Plan