North Carolina

Objective: Evaluate the new Guilford County Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program local ordinance from both clinical and environmental perspectives

View the 2008 North Carolina Logic Model

Abstract: A CDC Harvard School of Public Health team was assembled to design a plan to evaluate the Guilford County’s new lead ordinance that: 1) requires universal screening for all children younger than 6 years, 2) offers environmental investigation with children with BLLs of 8-9 µg/dL; 3), requires environmental investigation and remediation for children with BLLs 10 µg/dL or higher. The Guilford County ordinance is more stringent than the state law in all three respects.

The local ordinance, which became effective on January 1, 2006, lowered the blood lead action level for environmental investigation (to 8 µg/dL) and required remediation whenever lead hazards are identified at the home or supplemental address of a child with a BLL of 10µg/dL or higher. The new local ordinance requires blood lead testing for all children younger than 6 years compared to the statewide targeted screening policy which focuses on the highest risk population (Medicaid & WIC recipients). The ordinance also requires documentation of blood lead testing prior to enrollment in a licensed child care center similar to immunization requirements. Of particular interest is whether the new local ordinance has increased screening penetration among high-risk children.

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