DHC Pediatric Webinar - Lead Poisoning: The Hidden Pandemic

Friday, October 17, 2025, 8:00 AM - Tuesday, October 17, 2028, 9:00 AM

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), ANCC Nursing Contact Hours (1.00 hours), CME-Designated Participation Credit (1.00 hours)

This Pediatric Lecture Series will discuss important pediatric topics that may lead to the improvement of child health from an individual, health care system and/or societal level. This presentation provides information on screening, reporting, diagnosis, treatment, and referral options for pediatric lead poisoning.

Presenter

Jessica Faraci, MD, FAAFP
Clinical Instructor, Family Medicine
MaineHealth Primary Care - Family Medicine, Brunswick, ME

Dr. Jessica Faraci, MD, is a family physician who trained at the University of Vermont College of Medicine where she also stayed for residency. She now practices primary care in Maine, with interests in continuity of care, education, and informatics. Outside of medicine, she can often be found chasing her 4 kids around Maine enjoying the beautiful seasons and community in the area.

1. Define one aspect of lead poisoning prevalence in pediatric practice.
2. Describe at least two ways to treat lead poisoning appropriately.
3. Identify at least two public health implications and follow up actions for lead poisoning.

In support of improving patient care, Dartmouth Health is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. 

American Medical Association (AMA)
Dartmouth Health designates this Enduring Material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
Dartmouth Health designates this Enduring Material for a maximum of 1.00 ANCC contact hours.

All other learners may claim CME-designated participation credit. Consult your professional licensing board regarding the applicability and acceptance of CME-designated participation credit for programs certified for credit by organizations accredited by Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Education.

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Bibliographic Material

• Binns HJ, LeBailly SA, Fingar AR, Saunders S. Evaluation of risk assessment questions used to target blood lead screening in Illinois. Pediatrics. 1999 Jan;103(1):100-6. doi: 10.1542/peds.103.1.100. PMID: 9917446. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9917446/

• France EK, Gitterman BA, Melinkovich P, Wright RA. The accuracy of a lead questionnaire in predicting elevated pediatric blood lead levels. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1996 Sep;150(9):958-63. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1996.02170340072014. PMID: 8790128. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8790128/

• False positive rate of capillary lead tests. J Public Health Managing Practice. Screening for Elevated Blood Lead Levels: False-Positive Rates of Tests on Capillary Samples, Minnesota, 2011-2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30507769/

• Association of tobacco and lead exposures with ADHD. Pediatrics. 2009. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2853804/

• Prevention of Childhood lead toxicity. Pediatrics July 2016. https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/138/1/e20161493

• CDC Fact sheets, who is at risk. Accessed 9/2021. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/leadtoxicity/who_at_risk.html

• “Lead Poisoning in Children.” Am Fam Physician. 2019. https://www.aafp.org/afp/2019/0701/p24.html

• A strategy for comparing the contributions of environmental chemicals and other risks factors to neurodevelopment of children. Environmental Health Perspective. 2012. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3339460/

• Childhood lead exposure and adult neurodegenerative disease. 2018. J Alzheimers Disease. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29865081/

• Heavy Metals Exposure and Alzheimers Disease and related dementias. 2020. J Alzheimers Disease. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32651318/

• Low-level lead exposure and mortality in US adults: a population based cohort study. Lanphear et al. 2018. The Lancet: Public Health. Volume 3, issue 4, E177-E184. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(18)30025-2/fulltext

• Illinois 2020 data Lead Poisoning CDC https://dph.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idph/publications/idph/topics-and-services/environmental-health-protection/lead-poisoning-prevention/lead-surveillance-report-2020.pdf

• Cecil KM, Brubaker CJ, Adler CM, Dietrich KN, Altaye M, Egelhoff JC, et al. (2008) Decreased Brain Volume in Adults with Childhood Lead Exposure. PLoS Med 5(5): e112. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050112 https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.0050112

• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0014498316300109 Crime and lead exposure https://www.nber.org/papers/w23392

• Hertz-Picciotto I. The evidence that lead increases the risk for spontaneous abortion. Am J Ind Med. 2000 Sep;38(3):300-9. doi: 10.1002/1097-0274(200009)38:3<300::aid-ajim9>3.0.co;2-c. PMID: 10940968. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10940968/

• CDC report / briefing using 2010 data on lead poisoning in pregnant women in the US. NHANES data says 1% of childbearing aged woman have levels >5 ug/dL.In the US, significant risks for pregnant women include immigration status, pica, occupational exposure, alternative remedies / cosmetics, traditional lead glazed pottery, and nutritional status. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/147837

• Wang J, Yang Y, Zhang J, Liu N, Xi H, Liang H. Trends of Blood Lead Levels in US Pregnant Women: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001-2018). Front Public Health. 2022 Jul 1;10:922563. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.922563. PMID: 35844875; PMCID: PMC9283785. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9283785/
  
  

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