Children’s Services

The Knox County Health Department participates in the Kentucky Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (KCLPPP). KCLPPP is part of the Healthy Homes Initiative and offers a comprehensive approach to primary and secondary prevention of childhood and prenatal lead poisoning and other housing-related health hazards.

As part of this program, KCHD provides the following services:

Screening: Our clinic provides free or low-cost lead screening for children 6 and under. A Health Department nurse works to manage the cases of any children found to have high blood lead levels.

Investigation: Environmental staff from the Health Department conducts investigations for possible causes when a child is found to have high blood lead levels.

Education and Outreach: Education and outreach activities provide information through Web pages, pamphlets, brochures, health fairs and collaboration with community groups and state and federal agencies.

Prevention Efforts

Primary prevention includes activities such as blood lead screenings for at-risk populations and education on preventive strategies to decrease childhood and prenatal lead hazard exposure.

Secondary prevention includes case management follow-up for elevated blood lead levels, medical and environmental services, epidemiological studies, education and connections to other professionals and programs.

Primary Prevention: Blood lead screening of at-risk populations:

• Children 72 months of age and younger and pregnant patients

• Medicaid eligible

• Those living in a targeted ZIP code

• Those responding yes or don’t know on the Lead Poisoning Verbal Risk Assessment

Education on preventive strategies:

• Identify potential sources of lead hazards

• Keep children away from potential sources of lead hazards

• Encourage a diet that includes increased amounts of calcium, iron and vitamin C and less fat to help prevent lead absorption.

• For housing built before 1978, housecleaning techniques such as damp dusting, wet mopping, vacuuming daily with a hepa filtered vacuum, leaving shoes at the door in a tote or on a shelf that is inaccessible to children, wiping child’s toys down daily and keeping in a covered tote

• Hand washing with soap and water prior to eating/snacking or sleep times

• Use temporary measures to reduce childhood access to lead based paint hazards that may include but are not limited to: blocking child access to potential hazardous area with a barrier, for example, placing furniture in front of a chipping window sill;

• Use of duct or masking tape and plastic or cardboard to cover an area of chipping/peeling surface until permanent work can be conducted;

• Daily damp dust, wet mop and vacuum with a hepa vac especially in the child’s play area;

• Wipe child’s toys clean, keep toys in clean dry tote, and placing tote in cleaned play area and limiting the child’s play to only this area; (especially if child is crawling and/or in hand-to-mouth exploration stage);

• Keep child’s hands washed with soap and water, (germ gel does not remove lead), wash hands before snacks and meals and before any sleep times, nap or bedtime (especially if child is crawling and/or in hand-to-mouth exploration stage);

• Leaving shoes outside, or placing shoes in a tote or shelf out of the child’s reach to keep lead dust/paint chips from being tracked in from outside.

• Exploring the possibility to relocate child(ren) and pregnant women from the home while renovation/remediation work is in progress.

• Assure the family is using lead safety work practices during renovations (walk off areas, plastic off door areas, remove shoes/clothing before entering living spaces, daily clean up and vacuuming of work and walk off areas).

Lead Screening and Investigation