OLYMPIA, Wash. — Federal law requires states to screen all children receiving Medicaid for exposure to lead.
An investigation by the Washington State Auditor’s Office found the state of Washington is not close to meeting that requirement.
Looking at data from 2018, investigators said 26% of the state’s children on Medicaid between the ages of 1 and 6 were screened for lead exposure.
Federal law requires children receiving medical benefits from the government get screened at 12 months and 24 months. The audit found 3% of those children were tested.
Auditors said low-income children are more likely to be exposed to lead based on where they live.
Auditors recommended the Washington Department of Health and the Health Care Authority, the agencies that run Medicaid and health care programs in the state, take steps to increase awareness about the importance of lead testing.
”We agree that more can and should be done in the way of lead testing,” said Dr. Judy Zerzan-Thul, chief medical officer for the Health Care Authority.
Zerzan-Thul said the audit should help the agency get the message to parents and providers that lead testing should happen in the state of Washington.
Lauren Jenks, assistant secretary for Environmental Public Health with the Washington Department of Health, said parents should have their children screened if they live in an area with potential lead exposure.
“If they live in an older home or, or live in an area where they're exposed to dirt that might have lead in it, then we really do need to get those kids tested so we can prevent them from getting exposed to even more lead,” said Jenks.
According to the auditors, lead is most commonly found in homes built before 1978, when lead paint was banned.
It can also be found in soils in orchards where pesticides were used and in areas near former smelter sites, like in Tacoma and Everett.
The Food and Drug Administration is currently recalling applesauce packets linked to lead poisonings.