Lead test to expand protection

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.