ATSDR to Sign Up Children and Pregnant Women for Free Lead and Arsenic Screening Tests

Hayden and Winkelman, Arizona

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

ATLANTA, GA – Next week, March 23-27, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) will share information and answer questions about scheduling free lead and arsenic screening tests for children and pregnant women in Hayden and Winkelman, AZ.

Throughout the week, there will be various ways to engage with ATSDR staff and scientists about scheduling an appointment for testing. There will be community meetings, door-to-door visits, open houses, as well as scheduling by phone at 1.888.320.5291 (toll free). Testing appointments will be scheduled for April 16-19.

For more details about the community meetings and open houses, go to: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/HWAZ/important_dates.html.

ATSDR will schedule testing appointments for up to 200 children and pregnant women who live in Hayden and Winkelman. Lead testing is done with a blood sample and arsenic testing is done with a urine sample.

Eligible for testing are:

• Children aged 9 months to 5 years for lead
• Children aged 6 years to 11 years for lead and arsenic
• Pregnant women for lead and arsenic

ATSDR is concerned that people in Hayden and Winkelman may come into contact with high levels of lead and arsenic in the environment. ATSDR is working with the Arizona Department of Health Services, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to offer the testing and protect the health of Hayden and Winkelman residents.

Lead exposure can cause learning and behavior problems in children. Some of the effects of lead may never go away.

Arsenic exposure can cause stomachache, nausea, and skin problems. Arsenic exposure over many years also raises the risk of cancer of the skin, bladder, lung, and liver.

Arsenic exposure can cause stomachache, nausea, and skin problems. Arsenic exposure over many years also raises the risk of cancer of the skin, bladder, lung, and liver.

For more information about the free lead and arsenic screening tests, call toll free 1-888-320-5291 or visit: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/HWAZ

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ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the potential for adverse human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.

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Related News Releases For Hayden and Winkelman, Arizona, USA

 

ATSDR releases results of Hayden and Winkelman, AZ, Exposure Investigation and invites community to public meeting
Release Date: Thursday, April 06, 2017
ATLANTA, GA – The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a federal public health agency, recently released its report, Exposure Investigation - Biological Testing for Exposure to Lead and Arsenic near the Asarco Hayden Smelter Site in Hayden and Winkelman, Arizona. The report finds that some children in Hayden and Winkelman have been exposed to lead at levels that could harm their health.

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