Emergint to update Childhood Lead Poisoning surveillance system
(ATLANTA, GA) - America has approximately one million children ages six years or younger who have elevated blood levels that identifies them as individuals with lead poisoning. This condition adversely affects their intelligence, behavior and overall development. In 1988, the Lead Contamination Control Act authorized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to initiate a program that would eliminate childhood lead poisoning in the United States. Based on this Act, the CDC National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) created the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch (LPPB). Emergint Technologies Inc. is working on a project for the LPPB to produce the first release of the Healthy Housing and Lead Poisoning Surveillance System (HHLPS). This system will be installed at state health departments and at larger local health departments to support their Lead Poisoning surveillance efforts. Participating health departments will be able to submit appropriate subsets of their data to CDC's LPPB to continue monitoring clinical data about this serious and preventable health issue.
A majority of childhood lead poisoning cases are attributed to some environmental exposure and by updating the Response and Surveillance System for Childhood Lead Exposure (RASSCLE II), Emergint will help the LPPB to assist partner public health departments in the analysis and dissemination of lead surveillance data. "Lead can produce adverse effects on virtually every system in the body; it can damage the kidneys, the nervous system, the reproductive system, and cause high blood pressure. It is especially harmful to the developing brains of fetuses and young children."1 Very high blood lead levels can cause seizures, coma, or death; however, even low levels harm children's learning and behavior. Studies show that a majority of homes built before 1978 in the United States contain lead-based paint. "The older the house, the more likely it is to contain lead-based paint and to have a higher concentration of lead in the paint. . . Average blood lead levels in the United States have fallen dramatically since the 1970s. However, some populations of children continue to be disproportionately exposed to lead."1
About Emergint
Emergint is committed to providing consultation and IT services to meet the evolving management and IT demands of our clients. Through these services, Emergint enhances the client's ability to achieve their strategic mission through measurable results.
About CDC's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch (LPPB)
This branch develops programs and policies that will lead to the prevention of childhood lead poisoning. They provide educational information to the public and health care providers, and funding to support state and local health department with childhood lead poisoning screenings.
Contact:
Ms. Theodora Giagtzis
Director of Business Development
(866) 681-0149 ext. 6105
theodora.giagtzis@emergint.com