The Arizona Department of Health Services has launched a pilot program to increase the rate of children getting blood lead screenings. About 20 percent of the state's children are getting tested at the appropriate time.
The department is working with three doctor's offices in the West Valley that are testing strategies to improve the rate of screening in children who are 12 months and 24 months old.
Not every child needs a blood lead screening though. Only those who live in one of about 150 high risk zip codes across the state.
Jessica Rigler with the Arizona Department of Health Services said that’s part of the problem.
"When a provider gets a child 12 and 24 months coming in there’s a lot of different things they need to be screening for so blood lead testing is just another one of those things," said Rigler. "And because its not necessarily recommended for every child it can be difficult to implement that into practice."
Rigler said in Arizona the most common causes of high blood lead levels are eating imported spices and living with someone who works in a high-risk industry, like mining, where lead can be tracked in by dust or contaminated soil.
