Who is at highest risk for lead poisoning?
Young children who put things in their mouth are at the highest risk for ingesting lead from their environment. This hand-to-mouth behavior is common among children ages 9 to 36 months. If there is lead in their environment, putting toys and other things in their mouths increases the chance of getting lead into their body. Since a child s brain is developing until about the age of two, lead poisoning is especially harmful during this time. Lead testing programs recommend testing children at ages 1, 2 and 3 years if they may have lead in their environment.
