FREEHOLD – Do your children have toys that contain lead? The staff and volunteers of the Monmouth County Department of Health can help you answer this question at one of its upcoming lead awareness events.

 

“Lead poisoning is entirely preventable,” said Freeholder Barbara McMorrow, who oversees the county’s Department of Health. “The key is stopping children from coming into contact with lead. These information-based health fairs will give parents and grandparents the tools to assess and remove recalled toys and other lead-based products from their homes and play areas.”

Scheduled dates and locations of lead awareness events are:  

•   Monday, Feb. 25 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Salvation Army, 605 Asbury Ave., Asbury Park.
•   Tuesday, Feb. 26, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Cullen Center, 1778 Union Ave., Hazlet.
•   Wednesday, Feb. 27, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters, 125 Symmes Dr.,  Manalapan.
•   Thursday, Feb. 28, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lakewood Library, 301 Lexington Ave., Lakewood.
•   Friday, Feb. 29, from 3 to 7 p.m. St. Rose Church, 12 Throckmorton St., Freehold.
•   Thursday, March 6, 2008, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Eastern Branch of the Monmouth County Library, 1001 Route 35 North, Shrewsbury.

Parents and children are encouraged to bring up to three toys to an event, and staff will determine whether the toys have been recalled by the U.S. Consumer and Product Safety Commission (CPSC). If an item has been recalled by the CPSC, Health Department staff will advise adults of the appropriate course of action for return or disposal. 

 

Attendees also will be able to view an educational video, pick up information fliers, ask questions and review toy recall lists. Lead screening will be available for children age 6 and under. Free refreshments will be provided by Amerigroup.

 

The program is part of a general public health awareness initiative of the Lead Poisoning Prevention Coalition of Monmouth and Ocean counties and is being conducted by registered environmental health specialists. 

 

“Lead poisoning can affect nearly every system in the body, but because lead poisoning often occurs with no obvious symptoms it frequently goes unrecognized,” said Michael Meddis, Monmouth County’s Public Health Coordinator. “Lead poisoning can cause learning disabilities, behavioral problems and, at very high levels, seizures, coma and even death.”

According to the CPSC, lead is invisible to the naked eye and has no smell. Children may be exposed to it from consumer products through normal hand-to-mouth activity, which is part of their normal development. They often place toys and fingers in their mouth, exposing themselves to lead paint or dust.

 

For more information, contact the Monmouth County Health Department at (732) 431-7456.

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