New regulations require me to ask each parent about lead poisoning testing for their children. If you have had any testing done please supply Daycare with a copy of the results. If you have not had any testing done please understand how important it is for your child�s safety. Below is an article about the dangers of lead.

Effects of lead exposure in children include:

delays in physical and mental development

decreased attention span

hearing problems

learning problems

In some adults, lead has also been linked to a slight increase in blood pressure. After decades of exposure to unhealthy lead levels, there is an increased risk of stroke, kidney disease, and cancer.

Children get sick from lead exposure most often when they eat chips of lead-based paint. Eating as little as 1/10 of a square inch of paint daily for 15 to 30 days can result in a blood lead level of 10 mcg/dL, the level that defines lead poisoning according to federal health guidelines.

Since 1971, the elimination of leaded gasoline and the ban of paints containing 0.06% or more of lead have helped reduce average U.S. blood levels of lead by 78%. Still, approximately 1.7 million American children have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood, most often because of exposure to older lead-based paint in their own homes. Currently, about 77 million residential homes built before 1980 contain lead-based paint, and lead-based paint has also been used to cover playground equipment in schools and public parks.

If you live in a home built before 1980, you should inspect walls and window frames for areas of chipped paint. Do-it-yourself home testing kits are available to check for lead content in paint, and there are also laboratories that will test your paint chips off-site. Another in-home test requires a trained professional's expertise and is done using X-ray fluorescence. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recommends that you take action against lead exposure if your paint shows a lead level above 0.5% by lab testing, or above 1.0 milligrams/cm2 by X-ray fluorescence. You may also wish to ask your child's doctor about having your child's blood tested for lead. A blood lead level of 10 mcg/dL or higher indicates lead poisoning.

To check dishes for lead, you can use a commercially available test kit or call the manufacturer directly. If your child plays on painted playground equipment, inspect it for areas of chipped paint and notify local park officials of the situation.

Check with your public water company for assistance and information about lead levels. If you have a private well, you can have your water tested by a local laboratory.

When you use water for cooking or drinking, use cold tap water only, not hot. Let tap water run for about 1 minute in the morning before you take your first drink.

If your private well has high lead levels, consider a water treatment device (calcite filter, ion-exchange filter [some types], reverse osmosis device, or a distillation unit). If lead levels are still high, consider using bottled water.

Do not drink from lead crystal on a daily basis, and do not store liquids in lead crystal bottles or glasses.

Do not store food or liquids in antique or collectible dishes or in dishes made by hobbyists, especially if the dishes are brightly decorated, metallic-coated, or imported from foreign countries.

If you are concerned that your home may have high lead levels because of old lead-based paint, contact the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development�s Office of Lead Hazard Control for its "Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Housing," or call HUD at (800) 245-2691.

If you know that your home has high lead levels, you can reduce your exposure to lead-based paint by replacing painted items, covering painted surfaces with sealant or gypsum wall board (a temporary solution), or having the lead-based paint removed by a professional.

If testing of painted playground equipment shows high lead levels, local park officials may choose to temporarily paint over the older coating with non-leaded paint or with a special encapsulation coating. For a permanent solution to the problem, the equipment must be removed or its lead-based paint must be stripped by a professional.