What Services Are Available?

Healthcare providers and laboratories are required to report elevated blood lead levels to the health department. Call (863) 519-8300 to report elevated blood lead levels.

Our office provides environmental assessment of the living environments of children who have been diagnosed with elevated levels of lead in their blood.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is Lead and Lead Poisoning?

• Lead is a naturally occurring metal that has been used to make many products.
• Lead poisoning occurs when too much lead gets into the body.
• Lead poisoning is a serious but preventable health problem.

What causes lead poisoning?

• The biggest exposure to lead for children is lead-based paint hazards in older homes.
• Homes built before 1978 could have lead-based paint, and homes built before 1950 are even more likely to have interiors painted with lead-based paint.

Are there other sources of lead exposure?

• Other sources include: soil, parent's occupations/hobbies, imported pottery and dishes, home remedies, and water.

How does lead get into the body?

• Lead can be eaten or breathed.
• Children get lead into their bodies by breathing lead-contaminated dust
• Hands and toys can become contaminated from household dust or exterior soil.
• If your child eats dirt or other non-food objects, this may increase the chances of getting lead into his or her body.

Who can get lead poisoning?

• Anyone can be poisoned by lead.
• Young children between the ages of nine months and six years are at the highest risk.

What can happen when a child is poisoned by lead?

• Decreased intelligence or ability to learn.
• Increased behavior problems.
• Increased childhood health problems, such as anemia, speech and language delays, hearing problems, kidney damage, seizure, and, in rare cases of extremely high levels, even death.
• Decreased school performance.
• Increased juvenile delinquency.
• Decreased health and economic status of the future adult population.

When & Where?

Please visit our locations page to view information on the location nearest to you.

Under Florida law, e-mail addresses and content are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address
or the content of your message released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity.
Instead, contact the Polk County Health Department by phone or in writing.