Public health. Childhood lead exposure in Wisconsin in 1990.

It will take the cooperation of many people to address the issue of lead poisoning. The recent death has dramatized the problem of high dose exposures. But a larger challenge is posed by the fact that most preschool children in Wisconsin are not screened for lead and as a result many asymptomatic children without signs of pica behavior will experience subtle neurological damage as a result of low to moderate elevations of lead in blood. Because many of these cases occur in children without recognized pica behavior, doctors need to expand screening, especially during well child visits, to identify children with elevated blood lead levels. Additionally, the public health community and property owners need to evaluate and control sources of lead. Major efforts are needed to address the lead hazards which now impair hundreds of Wisconsin children each year.