Preventing Childhood Lead Poisoning During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch (CLPPB) is taking precautions to ensure the safety of its staff, community counterparts, and the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. CLPPB has developed resources and guidelines for assisting local health jurisdictions with preventing childhood lead poisoning during the pandemic and continues to ensure that cases of childhood lead poisoning are responded to in a timely and appropriate manner. 

For assistance, please continue to contact your local Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program; however, note that if local program staff are assisting with COVID-19 work, non-urgent inquiries may receive a delayed response. If your local program is unavailable, or if your county does not have a local program, contact CLPPB directly at 510-620-5600 or by email at PDSS@cdph.ca.gov. 

• Community resource page for staying lead-safe during the COVID-19 pandemic contains educational materials and activities for families and child care providers.
• Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Toolkit: Resources for Lead Poisoning Prevention During COVID-19 provides educational materials, health care provider letter templates, and social media messages. This toolkit was created for California Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Programs and may be adapted for use by community organizations and medical provider offices.
• CLPPB COVID-19 fact sheet details the steps and strategies CLPPB has taken to address declining blood lead screening rates.

For general information about COVID-19, visit the California Department of Public Health COVID-19 web page and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.