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Orange County marks Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, urges testing and abatement
Summary
The Orange County Board of Supervisors recognized October as Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week; county health officials urged pediatric screening, described abatement services for qualifying households and warned about consumer product recalls that can increase exposure.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 8 recognized October as Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week and urged parents to screen young children for lead exposure. County health officials cited local screening data and described county programs that identify and mitigate lead hazards.
Chairman Wagner opened the morning presentation by inviting county Health Officer Dr. Regina Xinxiu Quan to brief the board on lead risks. Dr. Quan said lead “can be everywhere and it can affect anyone,” and emphasized that testing is the only reliable way to detect exposure in children. She noted the Health Care Agency’s outreach and screening increase in neighborhoods most affected and referenced recent product recalls, including contaminated cinnamon items, that can raise exposure risks.
Vice Chairman Doug Chaffee and Supervisor Katrina Foley highlighted the long-recognized public-health threat posed by lead, noting that deteriorated paint, plumbing and contaminated soil remain common local sources. Foley described Orange County’s lead abatement program, which provides no-cost remediation to qualifying homeowners or renters living in pre-1978 housing and to households with children under 6 or pregnant residents; she gave a public contact number for the program.
Why this matters: Even low levels of lead are associated with declines in IQ, attention and academic performance, public-health officials said. The board’s recognition was paired with a push to expand screening, connect families to abatement resources and raise public awareness about potential household and consumer-product exposures.
Next steps: County health staff said they will continue targeted outreach to high-risk areas, update recall information through OC HealthInfo and partner with pediatric and primary-care providers to encourage testing during routine medical visits. The board did not take formal policy action beyond the proclamation and information-sharing at the meeting.
