Children with be-havioural and de-velopmental dis- orders should be routinely tested for lead, which is a known, but treatable, neurotoxin, say the authors of new research.
Lead is not now considered to be a public health problem in the UK. However, in the US the substance is still considered a potential threat to children's development and extensive lead screening programmes have been carried out since the early 1960s.
The Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta, for example, recommends that children first receive blood lead screening when they are one year old and that there should be additional screening of children at high risk - those living in old housing with leaded paint or with old lead water pipes, especially those with a propensity for chewing objects and sucking their fingers.
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