Stonington Rep. Announces Children's Committee Joint Forumon Lead Screening in Children

From the House Democrats Office:

STONINGTON, CT - Children’s Committee House Chair Diana Urban (D-Stonington) has announced that the Children’s Committee and Public Health Committees will hold a joint forum on Lead Screening in Children on Monday, September 12, from 1 to 3 p.m. in room 2B of the Legislative Office Building.

Connecticut has required health care providers to conduct annual blood lead screenings for children under age three since 2009. Approximately 60,000 Connecticut children under age 6 were reported with lead exposure in 2013.

The forum will have presentations by the Department of Public Health (DPH), which monitors screening compliance, and discussions related to these presentations.

“The Children’s Committee prides itself on vigilantly monitoring potential health concerns affecting children,” Rep. Urban said. “In light of recent events around the country that have raised awareness of the dangers of lead exposure in children, we want to review our current efforts to make sure Connecticut is doing everything it can to keep kids safe.”

In Connecticut, one of the biggest risks for exposure is lead paint found in older homes. Young children are most at risk for lead exposure, which can cause irreversible developmental delays.

Image via Pixabay.