MARYLAND – Lead poisoning affects many children younger than 6 years old in Maryland. Lead can harm a child’s brain, causing lifelong learning and behavior problems.
Lead dust in the home is caused by chipping, peeling, flaking or deteriorating lead-based paint and can be found in any home. Lead can also be found in toys, jewelry, and other consumer products and may be brought home from some jobs. For more information on how to protect your family from lead, visit http://www2.epa.gov/lead/protect-your-family#sl-home.
Lead poisoning has decreased over the years, but there is no safe level of lead. The only way to know if a child has been exposed is a blood test.
Childhood Blood Lead Testing in Maryland: Evaluation and Recommendations (Dec. 2022)
This report reviews Maryland’s recent experience in universal childhood blood lead testing and presents recommendations for future childhood blood lead testing policies. It evaluates the impacts of policy decisions in 2015 and 2016 aimed at improving lead testing rates statewide, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on lead testing rates, and national changes in the blood lead reference value in 2021. Read the report.
Housing and Lead, a StoryMap examining redlining, housing discrimination, and environmental health disparities in Baltimore, MD
The Maryland Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (MD EPHT) has partnered with the Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health (CEEJH) to analyze and report lead data as observed through Baltimore, MD’s long history with lead exposure and poisoning. This StoryMap unpacks how racism, housing, and lead exposure contribute to the persistent observed environmental health disparities.
What is New in Lead Poisoning Prevention in Maryland?
On October 28, 2022, Maryland Department of the Environment will start to notify parents when their child has had a blood lead level at or above the CDC’s blood lead reference value of 3.5 mcg/dL, as well as rental property owners for properties covered under the law (House Bill 1110, Chapter 86, Acts of 2022).
On January 25, 2022, Maryland Department of Health advised health care providers they should follow up on children with a Blood Lead Reference Value of 3.5 mcg/dl, as recommended by the CDC.
The Maryland Department of the Environment has new regulations for blood lead reporting and apartment owners.*
New Home Visiting and Lead Abatement Programs for Families
Maryland has two new programs for families with a child exposed to lead:
The Healthy Homes for Healthy Kids Program removes lead hazards from the home at no cost.
The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention and Environmental Case Management Program provides in-home services to reduce exposures to lead and to asthma triggers.
Learn more about these programs, including eligibility criteria and availability in your jurisdiction.
Universal Testing for Children at 12 and 24 months
Since 2016, all parts of Maryland are considered ‘at risk’ for lead exposure, for children born on or after 1/1/15. As a result, all children born on or after 1/1/15 must be tested for lead at ages 12 and 24 months. Children born before 1/1/15 should continue to be managed according to the 2004 Lead Targeting Plan (which defines specific areas of the State as ‘at risk’). Read More
Information for Parents and Caregivers
COVID-19 and lead testing — letter to parents from MDH, MDE, Lead Poisoning Prevention Commission
To see if products in your home contain lead, visit http://www.cpsc.gov/
Learn more about lead abatement and home-visiting programs available to families with a child who was exposed to lead.
A healthy diet is important in preventing childhood lead poisoning. Learn more (EPA)
New! What is needed to enroll a child in child care, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten or first grade: Maryland Blood Lead Testing Certificate (Form 4620). A non-fillable PDF version of the form is available here.
Information for Health Care Providers
March 2, 2021 Notice to Maryland Health Care Providders of Changes to Blood Lead Level Testing and Reporting Requirements, and New Resources for Providers and Parents
Regulations for Childhood Lead Testing (COMAR 10.11.04)
New! MDH Form 4620 Blood Lead Testing Certificate for Schools, Child Care A non-fillable PDF version of the form is available here.
2015 Maryland Targeting Plan for Areas At Risk of Childhood Lead Poisoning
2012 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Updated Lead Testing Guidance
2020 Updated Guidelines for Assessment and Management of Childhood Lead Exposure
2016 Guidelines for Assessment and Management of Childhood Lead Exposure
Final Report on Blood Lead Point of Care Testing (2014)
For additional medical resources, contact:
- Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital Lead Treatment Program
http://www.mwph.org/programs/lead-treatment or Call 410-367-2222 - Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment
http://kidsandenvironment.georgetown.edu/
Information for Child Care Providers and Schools
New! MDH Form 4620 Blood Lead Testing Certificate for Schools, Child Care A non-fillable PDF version of the form is available here.
Testing for Lead in Drinking Water in Schools
Interactive Maps and Data
Visit the Maryland Environmental Public Health Tracking portal for data and maps on lead poisoning.
LEAD HAS NO BOUNDARIES
For more information, call the Environmental Health Helpline: 1-866-703-3266
or email mdh.envhealth@maryland.gov