ABSTRACT
Opportunities for lead exposure are common in the United States. The American Academy of Pediatrics, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, launched the Increasing Capacity for Blood Lead Testing Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) project to educate pediatricians on the importance of testing children for lead exposure and to assess practice behavior change. We found that two weeks to one month after receiving training, more than 80% of participants reported increased lead testing and practice changes. Our results support use of the ECHO model as a mechanism for practice change. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(S7):S647-S650. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307084).
Subject(s)
Lead , Pediatricians , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. , Child , Humans , United StatesABSTRACT
The new millennium brought momentous changes to the poison control movement. Poison Control Centers (PCCs) now provided services covering almost 100% of the US population. Federal funding helped to stabilize PCCs. The provision of a nationwide toll-free telephone number was key to forming a more cohesive network. Expanded public health roles for the PCC network included real-time poisoning surveillance and disaster preparedness. More effective educational outreach was possible via entry into the “virtual” community of social media websites. A number of advances changed PCC operations and education in clinical toxicology: enhanced Internet connectivity and bandwidth, the advent of artificial intelligence and simulation tools, advanced telecommunications, and the proliferation of smartphones. The public’s real-time access to toxicological information in an emergency now includes Internet-based automated options. The future holds many challenges: new hazardous products, new pharmaceuticals, new chemicals, and new environmental exposures, as clinical toxicologists and PCCs adapt to this new age.
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has dramatically altered the health and well-being of children, particularly as they have been isolated indoors and in their homes as a result of social distancing measures. In this article, we describe several of the environmental threats that are affecting the health of children during the pandemic. These include increased exposure to household cleaning products, chemicals and lead in dust, indoor air pollutants, screen time, family stress, and firearms, as well as decreased availability of food, social supports, and routine childhood screenings. Importantly, many of these threats disproportionately affect children of racial or ethnic minorities or who have low socioeconomic status. Pediatric health care providers will need to screen and treat children and counsel their parents and/or other caregivers during well-child visits with an eye for these new or worsened environmental threats. [Pediatr Ann. 2020;49(12):e537-e542.].