Implementation of CDC Refugee Blood Lead Testing Guidelines in Minnesota

• Published in: Public health reports (1974) Vol. 123; no. 2; pp. 111 - 116
• Main Authors: Zabel, Erik W., Smith, Mary Ellen, O'Fallon, Ann
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA Association of Schools of Public Health 01.03.2008; SAGE Publications; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Adolescent; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Blood tests; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.); Child; Child nutrition; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Health Plan Implementation; Health screening; Hematologic tests; Humans; Infant; Lead; Lead poisoning; Lead Poisoning - diagnosis; Lead Poisoning - ethnology; Lead Poisoning - prevention & control; Mass Screening - organization & administration; Medical sciences; Medical screening; Minnesota - epidemiology; Miscellaneous; Pilot Projects; PRACTICE; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Prevention and actions; Public health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Recommendations; Refugees; Refugees - statistics & numerical data; United States; Minnesota; United States; North America; America; USA, Minnesota; Assay; Human; Lead; Refugee; Medical screening; Saturnism; Implementation; Recommendation; Blood; Public health; Heavy metal
• ISSN: 0033-3549; 1468-2877
• DOI: 10.1177/003335490812300203

The state of Minnesota undertook a trial of the 2005 recommendations for blood lead testing in refugees developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New refugee children younger than 16 years of age receiving health screening at an urban clinic were tested for elevated blood lead levels (EBLLs) and nutritional status. Follow-up lead tests were obtained three to six months after the first test. During the course of the project, 150 refugee children received an initial blood lead test and nutritional blood tests, and 140 (93%) received a second blood lead test. Five children (3.3%) had EBLLs at the initial blood lead test and one child (0.7%) had an EBLL at the second test after a nonelevated first test result. In contrast to findings from New Hampshire, this project did not observe a high number of refugees who developed EBLLs after moving to the U.S.