More local children were tested for lead poisoning in 2023 than in the prior year, according to data that Monroe County released Wednesday.
The data also showed a disproportionate increase in the number of children found to have elevated blood lead levels.
Last year, 12,788 children were screened for lead poisoning, up from 12,108 in 2022. Of them, 241 were found to have elevated blood lead levels, 100 more than the year prior.
“As a community, we have made tremendous strides to dramatically reduce childhood lead poisoning, but 2023’s data makes it clear that our work is not done,” Clare Henrie, director of the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning, said in a news release.
Most of the children with elevated blood lead levels — 197 — lived in the city of Rochester, according to the county. That's been typical in years past, too, and it is largely due to the concentration of older homes in the city. Homes built before 1978 are more likely to have lead paint present.
State law requires all children to be tested for lead poisoning at 1 and 2 years old. It also requires health care providers to screen all children up to age 6 for their risk of lead exposure, and to test any child deemed at risk. Children exposed to lead are at higher risk for learning disabilities and behavioral problems.
“Lead poisoning is entirely preventable. Early testing ensures that we minimize a child’s risk of developing long‐term consequences of lead poisoning by catching and acting on low levels of exposure,” Dr. Marielena Vélez De Brown, Monroe County’s acting commissioner of public health, said in a news release.
More information is available on the county's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program web page. Additional information is available from the city of Rochester and from the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning.
