A new on-the-spot lead test that can give results in as little as three minutes could give Maryland health workers a big boost on the road to zero lead poisoning cases by 2010, some say, though the test is expensive and insurance does not cover it.
Baltimore?s Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning is considering getting certified to administer the LeadCare II Blood Lead Test System for use in mobile testing vans that could bring blood lead testing into people?s homes, along with environmental testing.
“We think it?s really going to be helpful because it?s going to help us get into the community,” coalition Director Ruth Ann Norton said.
“It could help us act quicker ? help us know immediately what?s going on in a kid?s blood.”
The test is performed by a portable machine using a finger stick, or whole blood sample, and can give results in as little as three minutes, according to the Food and Drug Administration. If the result is positive, a second sample could be taken to verify the results.
But not everyone is thrilled at the possibilities.
The test is not reliable enough to stand up in court and is not covered by insurance, requiring doctors to pay for a second test, said Dr. Charles Shubin, director of pediatrics with Mercy Medical Center.
Other portable tests have been developed, including one by doctors at Baltimore?s Kennedy Krieger Institute, but they faded into obscurity because of similar cost and accuracy issues, Shubin said.
Children usually contract lead poisoning by ingesting dust from deteriorating lead-based paint or window frames, or drinking water from corroded plumbing, according to the FDA.
Symptoms can include headaches, stomach cramps, fatigue, memory loss, high blood pressure, seizures, brain damage and even death.
