Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSelf-Checks/At-Home TestingScreeningPhysical ExamLabsX-RayFrequently Asked QuestionsNext in Lead Poisoning GuideHow Lead Poisoning Is Treated
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Self-Checks/At-Home Testing
Screening
Physical Exam
Labs
X-Ray
Frequently Asked Questions
Next in Lead Poisoning Guide
Many healthcare providers will routinely recommend screening kids forlead poisoningas early as 6 months, depending on how much lead the child is likely exposed to at home or in a childcare setting.
For older children and adults, testing is typically only done if there’s a reason to believe they’ve been exposed to high doses of lead. In these cases, your practitioner will likely start with a series of questions about your environment, do a physical exam, and run a blood test to check for high lead levels in the body.
Verywell / Josh Seong
Lead toxicity is primarily diagnosed using a formal lab test in a clinical setting, but there are a number of things you can do at home to check if you or a family member is at risk.
Lead is nearly everywhere in our environment, and high concentrations of it are found in things like old paint, solder, gasoline, soil, and contaminated water, as well as seemingly harmless items like some candy, artificial turf, toy jewelry, and alternative medicines.
The most dangerous source of lead for children, especially, is lead-based paint, which was often used in homes prior to the 1970s. TheEnvironmental Protection AgencyandCenters for Disease Control and Preventionboth offer guidance on how to avoid common sources of lead.
In addition to removing or avoiding sources of lead in the home or at work, it’s important to watch forsigns of lead poisoningand alert your healthcare provider right away if you see them—especially behavioral changes like irritability, hyperactivity, or lack of focus, as well as developmental delays in small children.
No lead levels have been found to be safe in kids, and even small amounts have been linked to behavioral issues and drops in IQ.
Because of this, most pediatricians will routinely screen young children and infants for possible exposure to lead as part of their general checkups.
In many cases, this includes a questionnaire asking about various risk factors, such as how old the child’s home or daycare facility is, whether they eat non-food things like dirt or paint chips, or if a parent or close contact is exposed to lead frequently because of their job or hobbies.
If the answer is yes or you aren’t sure about any of the questions, your healthcare provider will likely want to do more testing to check for elevated blood levels.
While research shows these questionnaires aren’t great at identifying kids with high lead levels, they can help practitioners and parents figure out where kids with diagnosed lead poisoning are being exposed to the heavy metal to prevent contact with it in the future.Pregnant and breastfeeding women are also generally asked a similar set of questions.
In many areas, the local health department will have specific recommendations on who should be tested for lead and when based on the area’s trends and risks for high lead levels among locals.
If there is any reason to suspect lead poisoning, your healthcare provider will likely want to conduct a physical exam in addition to a blood test in order to look for signs and symptoms of toxicity.
This is important because once lead is absorbed into the bloodstream, it is distributed to the brain, liver, kidney, and bones. Most of it is stored in the teeth and bones, where it can accumulate over time. This means the blood levels alone may not give a true picture of how long someone has been exposed to lead.
Even so, because most cases of lead poisoning don’t show any symptoms at all, a physical exam might not be enough to spot it. That’s why blood tests are still a critical and primary tool used to diagnose lead toxicity.
The most common type of testing for lead poisoning is a blood test, known as the BLL (blood lead level) test. There are two kinds of blood tests that can indicate whether a person has an elevated blood lead level: a finger prick test and a blood draw.
Capillary Blood Sample
This method of testing uses only a finger prick to take a small sample of blood, making it a relatively simple and easy way to test for high lead levels. The downside, however, is that these samples can get contaminated with lead from the environment and skew test results to make it look like lead levels are higher than they really are.
Venous Blood Lead Level Testing
A blood draw from a vein is a much more useful screening and diagnostic test for high lead levels, but requires a trained phlebotomist to take and process the sample to avoid contamination with lead from the environment. This method is often the preferred test to check for high lead levels because it tends to be more reliable than the finger prick test.
If a person has a blood lead level of 5 µg/dL (five micrograms per deciliter), they are considered to have anelevated blood lead level. If that happens, healthcare providers will likely confirm the result with a second test anywhere from right away to 1 to 3 months, depending on the initial results.
If the test still comes back with high levels, the practitioner will report it to the local health department and go over next steps with the family on what they can do to reduce the blood levels and stop the exposure to lead. In cases of very high lead levels (45 µg/dL or higher),advanced treatmentmight be needed, especially in kids.
Frequently Asked QuestionsUnfortunately, the effects of lead poisoning cannot be reversed but early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent further damage.Discuss any lead concerns with your healthcare provider or your child’s practitioner. Contact your local health department to have your paint tested for lead. Make sure that all renovation activities within your home are handled properly and remove any recalled toys or jewelry.
Unfortunately, the effects of lead poisoning cannot be reversed but early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent further damage.
Discuss any lead concerns with your healthcare provider or your child’s practitioner. Contact your local health department to have your paint tested for lead. Make sure that all renovation activities within your home are handled properly and remove any recalled toys or jewelry.
How Lead Poisoning Is Treated
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Pediatrics.Prevention of childhood lead toxicity.Wani AL, Ara A, Usmani JA.Lead toxicity: A review.Interdiscip Toxicol. 2015;8(2):55-64. doi:10.1515/intox-2015-0009Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About childhood lead poisoning prevention.Ossiander EM.A systematic review of screening questionnaires for childhood lead poisoning.J Public Health Manag Pract. 2013;19(1):E21-9. doi:10.1097/PHH.0b013e3182249523Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Testing children for lead poisoning.Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.Lead toxicity: Clinical assessment—diagnostic tests and imaging.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Pediatrics.Prevention of childhood lead toxicity.Wani AL, Ara A, Usmani JA.Lead toxicity: A review.Interdiscip Toxicol. 2015;8(2):55-64. doi:10.1515/intox-2015-0009Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About childhood lead poisoning prevention.Ossiander EM.A systematic review of screening questionnaires for childhood lead poisoning.J Public Health Manag Pract. 2013;19(1):E21-9. doi:10.1097/PHH.0b013e3182249523Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Testing children for lead poisoning.Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.Lead toxicity: Clinical assessment—diagnostic tests and imaging.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Pediatrics.Prevention of childhood lead toxicity.Wani AL, Ara A, Usmani JA.Lead toxicity: A review.Interdiscip Toxicol. 2015;8(2):55-64. doi:10.1515/intox-2015-0009Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About childhood lead poisoning prevention.Ossiander EM.A systematic review of screening questionnaires for childhood lead poisoning.J Public Health Manag Pract. 2013;19(1):E21-9. doi:10.1097/PHH.0b013e3182249523Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Testing children for lead poisoning.Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.Lead toxicity: Clinical assessment—diagnostic tests and imaging.
American Academy of Pediatrics.Prevention of childhood lead toxicity.
Wani AL, Ara A, Usmani JA.Lead toxicity: A review.Interdiscip Toxicol. 2015;8(2):55-64. doi:10.1515/intox-2015-0009
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About childhood lead poisoning prevention.
Ossiander EM.A systematic review of screening questionnaires for childhood lead poisoning.J Public Health Manag Pract. 2013;19(1):E21-9. doi:10.1097/PHH.0b013e3182249523
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Testing children for lead poisoning.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.Lead toxicity: Clinical assessment—diagnostic tests and imaging.
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