'No known cases' of lead poisoning at KSC child care center

In the summer of 2007, Keene State College released information of elevated lead levels in outdoor paint in and around the Elliot Hall's Child Development Center (CDC).

Less than two months later, a Harvard Medical School official spoke at KSC's 2007 Sidore Lecture on childhood lead poisoning.

Dr. Michael Shannon, chief emeritus of Emergency Services and associate director of the Children's Hospital Pediatric Environmental Health Center at Children's Hospital Boston, said lead poisoning could alter basic neuronal functions affecting a child's brain. It could also affect a child's behavior, intelligence, academic performance and growth, he said at the lecture.

CDC director Ellen Edge, who has been at KSC since August 2006, said while she has been the director, there has been no known case of a child having lead poisoning, and "to the best of my knowledge - and working with staff that have been here for many years - there is no known cases of a child having any lead in their blood."

Between 50 and 55 infants, toddlers and children are in the child care program, which is licensed for 55, said Edge. She said about half of the attendees are children of KSC faculty and staff.

Although anyone of any age can contract lead poisoning, young children are at higher risk than others, according to New Hampshire's Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

In 2007, DHHS reported 170 children in New Hampshire had lead levels over 10 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL). Anything above this level, according to state law, must be acted upon and treated properly.

Any child found with levels under 10 mcg/dL, according to Lisa Bujno, bureau chief for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, does not need medical treatment but rather prevention.

"Really with a lot of things, the best treatment is prevention, so that's why we do a lot of education with people," said Bujno.

According to the Lead Education and Abatement Design group (LEAD), lead levels under 10 mcg/dL can cause learning problems in children, such as decreased short term memory and decreased math, verbal and reading skills.

Toddler-aged children with anemia and malnutrition, Bujno said, are more susceptible to contracting lead poisoning.

In April 2000 a 2-year-old girl, who was a Sudanese refugee living in Manchester, died after her blood lead level was tested to be 391 mcg/dL, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The girl lived with her family in a pre-1920 apartment that was found to have exposed lead-based paint above safe levels, according to the CDC.

According to the CDC, there are five classes of lead poisoning. Class one ranges from one to nine mcg/dL and can create learning problems in children. A class five case is when more than 69 mcg/dL is found in the blood system. For a child, this may lead to severe brain damage or possibly death and requires emergency medical treatment.

The most effective treatment for lead poisoning is known as chelation therapy. Although children can have the therapy done, according to Bujno, it is only done at higher levels.

"The lead is a heavy metal ... so it does affect the brain and nervous system," said Bujno. "When you get to a very high level, like above 40, you really need to do something to decrease that level."

Chelation therapy is only performed when lead levels reach 40 mcg/dL, according to Cheshire Medical Center. The therapy uses several types of medications in order to lower blood-lead levels in the body.

According to Bujno, lead attaches to red blood cells in the system and prevents the cells from working properly. An intravenous drip with several medications, she said, is inserted to "knock" the lead off the red blood cells and is removed from the body as waste.

In order to deal with statewide childhood lead poisoning, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services created the Childhood Lead Protection and Prevention Program (CLPPP) in 1992 with a grant from the CDC.

The CLPPP, Bujno said, is always involved in lead prevention through education, but is required to become involved in lead poisoning cases if the child's blood level reaches 10 mcg/dL.

"They're definitely involved at a level of 10 and above, and that's a new change to the law," she said. "Up until January 1 [2008], we were only able to become involved at the level of 20 … and that's for rental properties."

As for privately-owned homes, the CLPPP is allowed to educate the families at any level, but it would be up to the family to become more involved if the child has lead poisoning, according to Bujno.

Before the law change, CLPPP could only visit a rented apartment or home when the child's blood-lead level reached 20 mcg/dL.

"Or if a child had what they called a persistent level of 15 to 19, so it would have to be two terms a certain amount of time apart," Bujno said.