Elevated Blood Lead Program
The Howard County Health Department provides case management support to families with children who have elevated blood lead levels and coordinates with health care providers for appropriate referrals and follow-up testing. Find resources here if you’re a parent who wishes to know more about lead poisoning or a provider looking for patient education materials.
Elevated lead levels can have negative effects over time on children’s mental and physical development, including:
- Damage to the brain and nervous system
- Slowed growth and development
- Learning and behavior problems
- Hearing and speech problems
All children should receive blood lead screening at the following routine well-child visits to their providers:
- At 12 months
- At 24 months
Do not skip or delay routine testing; if you have missed either of these well-child visits, please contact your provider to schedule an appointment.
Testing for Lead (National Center for Healthy Housing)
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention
For questions or more information, call the Howard County Health Department at: 410-313-7500 or toll-free at 1-866-313-6300.
Additional questions may be directed by e-mail to askhealth@howardcountymd.gov.
When a child in Howard County is identified as having an elevated blood lead level, the Health Department works with the pediatrician and family to help identify the source of lead exposure and remove it from the child’s environment. The Health Department can educate families, provide case management, coordinate resources, and in some cases collaborate with the Maryland Department of the Environment to arrange home inspections. Health Department staff follows children with elevated lead levels until their lead level has dropped below the level of concern identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
For questions or more information, call the Howard County Health Department at: 410-313-7500 or toll-free at 1-866-313-6300.
Additional questions may be directed by e-mail to askhealth@howardcountymd.gov.
September 2025 FDA Alerts for Imported Cookware and Ground Cinnamon
The FDA has issued new alerts for several additional products that contain elevated levels of lead. The affected products include DEVI-brand and BaiLiFeng-brand ground cinnamon, Kadai/Karahi Tiger White, Silver Horse, and JK Vallabhdas cookware and Jiva Organic ground cinnamon. For a complete list of affected products, read the FDA advisories on imported cookware and ground cinnamon (October 2025 and March 2024).
Recommendations for consumers and retailers
- The FDA is advising consumers to stop using and dispose of these products.
- Do not donate or refurbish any items mentioned in the advisories.
- If there’s suspicion that someone has been exposed to elevated levels of lead, talk to your healthcare provider. Most people have no obvious immediate symptoms of lead exposure.
- Retailers and distributors are encouraged to consult with the FDA regarding the safety and regulatory status of any products sold, distributed, or used in contact with food that they market or distribute.
Fruit Pouch Recall
Sprout Organics has initiated a voluntary recall of Sprout Organics® Sweet Potato, Apple and Spinach 3.5oz. pouches sold at Walgreens because it may contain elevated levels of lead. Read the full FDA press release here.
Exposure to lead, even at low levels, may increase blood lead levels. Additional signs and symptoms of lead exposure are more likely with acute exposure to higher levels of lead or chronic exposure to lead. The effects of lead depend upon the amount and duration of exposure and age/body weight. If a child is exposed to enough lead for a protracted period of time, this can affect learning and development or cause other long-term health problems.
Symptoms of Lead Toxicity
Short term exposure to lead could result in the following symptoms:
- headache;
- abdominal pain/colic;
- vomiting;
- anemia.
Longer term exposure could result in the following additional symptoms:
- irritability;
- lethargy;
- fatigue;
- muscle aches or muscle prickling/burning;
- constipation;
- difficulty concentrating/muscular weakness;
- tremor;
- weight loss.
Patient Education Materials
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Lead poisoning occurs when lead enters the body through contaminated air, food, water, dust, or soil and builds up in the blood and soft tissue. Anyone can have lead poisoning, but children are more at risk because they are more likely to chew non-food items, more likely to get lead dust on their hands, and they absorb lead more easily than adults. Most children with increased lead levels in their blood do not have any obvious symptoms and only find out they have been exposed to lead during routine screening. Even low levels of lead can have negative effects over time, especially on mental and physical development.
Resources:
There are a number of ways in which children, and others, can be exposed to lead.
Lead was commonly used in paint, plumbing components and other materials before it was known to be toxic to humans. Older homes and structures may still have lead based paint. As old paint breaks down over time, it creates lead dust which can be ingested. (In 1978, lead was banned from use in paint in the United States.)
While lead based paint from homes built before 1978 is one of the most common sources of exposure, there are many other things that may contain lead.
These include:
- Ceremonial and/or religious powders (kajal, kumkum, sindoor, khol)
- Spices contaminated with lead (especially turmeric, cumin, chili powder)
- Imported or antique glazed pottery, ceramics, or pewter dishes
- Some types of jewelry
- Folk/Traditional medicines (Greta, Azarcon, Ghasard, Daw Tway)
- Some Mexican candies
- Hobbies like fishing (lead sinkers), stained glass, pottery glazing
- Soil contaminated by lead (often near highways or homes with exterior lead paint)
- Plumbing components
Resources:
For homes built before 1978:
- Be on the look-out for chipping or peeling paint.
- Try to create a physical barrier between your child and areas of deteriorating paint until clean-up can be completed by a trained professional.
- Regularly wet-mop floors and wipe surfaces with wet cloths to remove lead dust. Do not try to remove the paint yourself by sanding or stripping because that may release more lead dust into the home.
For other types of exposure to lead:
- Wash your child’s hands frequently, especially after playing outside and before meals
- Avoid playing in bare soil
- Avoid cooking or eating food from imported or antique glazed pottery, ceramics, or pewter dishes
- Avoid using spices imported from overseas
- Avoid using kumkum, kajal, sindoor, or other powders on children
Resources:
If your child has been diagnosed with elevated lead in their blood, the first thing to do is to figure out how they are being exposed. Work with your doctor and the Health Department’s case manager to review your child’s environment and identify possible sources of lead, then make efforts to eliminate them. Your child will also need to be retested to make sure their lead level is coming down. Be sure to follow your doctor’s guidance on when and how often your child should be retested.
Make sure to serve your child a healthy diet rich in calcium, iron, and vitamin C, as these foods may help keep lead out of the body.
Exposure to household items containing lead can be dangerous, especially for children. If you are concerned that something in your home contains lead, you should stop using it immediately and consider disposing of the product or performing a lead test.
Over-the-counter swab tests are often the best, inexpensive first step for people to test for lead at home. Consumers should note that these tests may not be as accurate as tests performed by a laboratory. More information and considerations for lab testing can be found in the following Fact Sheet.
- Testing for Lead (National Center for Healthy Housing)
Anyone who believes they, or a family member, have been exposed to lead should contact their primary care provider for advice.