Lead Testing Services

Huntington Beach, CA, December 9^th, 2021

Across California there are a number of children that suffer from lead poisoning. This number is expected to grow after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a new lower blood lead reference value (BLRV) in late October. CDC updated its BLRV from 5 µg/dL to 3.5 µg/dL in response to a Lead Exposure Prevention and Advisory Committee (LEPAC) recommendation.

The BLRV is intended to identify children with higher levels of lead in their blood compared to most children, based on the 97.5th percentile of the blood lead level (BLL) distribution in U.S. children ages 1–5 years. CDC encourages partners, health departments, health care providers, and others to focus resources on children with the highest BLLs compared to most young children so more prompt actions can be taken to:

• Reduce their levels
• Mitigate health effects
• Identify and eliminate sources of exposure

CDC also provided the following reminder:

Despite the overall decline in BLLs, lead exposure remains a significant public health concern for some children because of persistent lead hazards in the environment. Sources of lead include housing contaminated with lead-based paint, soil contaminated by historical sources of lead including automobile gasoline and activities such as lead mining or smelting, drinking water lead service lines, and lead in household plumbing materials. Children may also be exposed to lead through ingestion of contaminated candies and food packaging; some folk remedies, cultural products, and consumer products; and lead dust that caregivers might bring home on their clothing from their workplaces.

“The good news is lead poisoning is entirely preventable,” said Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager at LA Testing’s Huntington Beach facility. “In California, LA Testing’s laboratories offer environmental, industrial hygiene, material, and consumer product testing for lead and other hazardous substances. We also provide sampling supplies and easy-to-use test kits so that exposure risks to lead can be quickly identified and the appropriate steps can be put in place.”

To learn more about lead or other environmental, industrial hygiene and consumer product testing services, please visit www.LATesting.com, email info@LATesting.com or call (800) 755-1794. For access to indoor environmental quality test kits, visit www.EMSLTestKits.com. 

About LA Testing
LA Testing is California’s leading laboratory for indoor air quality testing of asbestos, mold, lead, VOCs, formaldehyde, soot, char, ash, and smoke damage, particulates, and other chemicals.  In addition, LA Testing offers a full range of air sampling and investigative equipment to professionals and the public. LA Testing maintains an extensive list of accreditations including: AIHA-LAP, LLC (AIHA-LAP, LLC EMLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC IHLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC ELLAP), CDC ELITE, NVLAP, State of California, State of Hawaii Department of Health, and other states.  LA Testing, along with the EMSL Analytical, Inc. network, has multiple laboratories throughout California including South Pasadena, Huntington Beach, San Leandro, San Diego, and Ontario.