Leah Bartlo (Learning and Instruction)

Zoom Link https://buffalo.zoom.us/j/98430995846?pwd=QjFuL2NHRlNtRHcwVUNRSjRRSXhsdz09

The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood blood lead levels in the United States may not be known for some time, but there is serious cause for concern that the severity and frequency of lead poisoning is being exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic as children spend increased time indoors in homes with lead hazards and in-person visits with pediatricians and routine blood lead screenings have decreased dramatically. It is critically important that we reevaluate our response to lead poisoning in the COVID-19 era, in particular the potential for educational interventions to mitigate the impact of lead on the learning and behavior of young children. In the April 2015 report, Educational Interventions for Children Affected by Lead, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention convened an expert panel that outlined current scientific understanding of the effects of lead on young children and described key actions that could be taken to support improved outcomes for lead-exposed children. The report noted major gaps in our understanding of the efficacy of interventions to mitigate the damage of lead and called on institutions to engage in research to address these gaps. This review examines whether any such research has been published on this topic since the CDC report and explores early indicators of the pandemic’s impact on lead poisoning. No research could be located on this topic since the CDC report calling for such work was made public in 2015. Additionally, early indicators suggest the pandemic is likely worsening the longstanding lead poisoning problem in the US, as millions of children are spending increased time indoors in homes with lead hazards amid lockdowns and school closures, and fewer children are being tested and linked to critical services. This paper concludes with a renewed call for action to address the urgent threat of lead poisoning on learning and behavior in children in the COVID-19 era.