Lead Safe County
Chautauqua County, NY

A Joint Venture of
Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Improvement Corp (CHRIC)
Chautauqua County Health Department
and Joint Neighborhood Project (JNP)
funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development
 

BLOOD LEAD TESTING AND WHAT BLOOD LEAD LEVELS MEAN

A blood test is the only way to find out if a child has too much lead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends testing every child at 12 months and again at 24 months of age. 
Screening should start at 6 months if the child is at risk of lead exposure 
(for example, if the child lives in an older home built before 1978 which has peeling or chipping paint). 
Decisions about further testing should be based on previous test results, and the child's risk of lead exposure. 
The test will identify how many micrograms of lead are found in one deciliter of the child's blood. 
Based on what is known today, children should have under 10 micrograms per deciliter 

(10 ug/dL) of blood lead concentration. 

For more information on blood lead levels and lead poisoning prevention, please contact the 
Chautauqua County Health Department at 753-4491, 363-4491 or 661-7491.
If you are uninsured, the Chautauqua County Health Department can provide a lead test 
for your child.  Please call 753-4491, 363-4491 or 661-7491.
LEAD LEVEL
MEANING
ACTION
Less than 10 ug/dl Safe - No lead poisoning · Have lead test done once each year
10-14 ug/dl Exposed to Lead · See your doctor
· Venous retest (blood drawn from child's arm) in 3 to 4 months
15-19 ug/dl Exposed to Lead
  • See your doctor
  • Venous retest (blood drawn from child's arm) in 3 to 4 months
  • For children with results in this range, a Public Health Nursing home visit may be made and an Environmental Health Specialist may inspect the child's home for lead hazards
  • Frequent housecleaning and handwashing will help reduce lead dust. 
  • Good nutrition can help the child fight lead.
    		•
  • 20-24 ug/dl
    		•
  • Lower Level Lead Poisoning
    		•  · See your doctor
    · Venous retest (blood drawn from child's arm) in 3 to 4 months
    · For children with a result in this range, a Public Health Nursing home visit will be made and an Environmental Health Specialist will inspect the child's home for lead hazards
    25-44 ug/dl Lead Poisoning · See your doctor
    · Venous retest (blood drawn from child's arm) in 1 to 3 months
    · A Public Health Nursing home visit will be made and an Environmental Health Specialist will inspect the child's home for lead hazards
    · Child may be hospitalized to remove lead from the body (chelation)
    45 ug/dl and higher Extreme Lead Poisoning · Child may be hospitalized to remove lead from the body (chelation)
    · X-rays may also be taken
    · Venous retest (blood drawn from child's arm) child frequently after chelation
    · A Public Health Nursing home visit will be made and an Environmental Health Specialist will inspect the child's home for lead hazards