{"id":59047,"date":"2022-07-26T22:00:22","date_gmt":"2022-07-26T22:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/07\/26\/dod-hasnt-properly-tracked-lead-exposure-in-military-kids\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T12:29:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T12:29:16","slug":"dod-hasnt-properly-tracked-lead-exposure-in-military-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/07\/26\/dod-hasnt-properly-tracked-lead-exposure-in-military-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"DoD hasn\u2019t properly tracked lead exposure in military kids"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When it comes to screening and testing military children for lead exposure, there\u2019s no one at the helm to make sure it\u2019s happening, according to a new report from government auditors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the auditors are questioning the accuracy of DoD\u2019s report on the number of children who are screened and tested for lead exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithout oversight, [Defense Health Agency] cannot ensure that pediatric lead screening, testing, treatment and reporting are being implemented consistently\u201d across all military treatment facilities, auditors with the Government Accountability Office<\/a> said in their report released July 26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In DoD\u2019s 2021 report to Congress, officials reported that 30,412 children were screened for lead exposure; 12,044 children were tested for elevated blood lead levels; and 83 children had elevated blood lead levels for the eight-month period that was covered in the report. But that report was likely an \u201cundercount,\u201d auditors stated, because it didn\u2019t include data from some military treatment facilities, and had incomplete data from others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years, military families have questioned whether the military was properly tracking and treating<\/a> health issues related to military housing, including blood lead levels in their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDoD needs to be on top of this,\u201d said Kelly Hruska, government relations director for the National Military Family Association. \u201cWe\u2019ve had far too many problems in military housing to let this slide. Checking the lead levels in military children is very important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe all need to draw that line to readiness,\u201d Hruska added. \u201cThe service member\u2019s head is not going to be on the mission if they\u2019re worried their children are being exposed to lead-based paint.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most common source of lead exposure for children is in buildings built before 1978.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lead-based paint exposure for children is just one issue lawmakers have tackled in response to numerous problems with the military\u2019s privatized housing<\/a>, ranging from mold to vermin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act required DoD to establish guidelines for its military treatment facility providers on screening, testing and reporting blood lead levels in children; to provide the guidelines to its facility providers and submit a report to Congress on the number of children screened and found to have elevated blood lead levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no safe blood lead level in children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lead exposure can cause serious health problems in children, such as brain damage, slowed development and growth, and learning and behavioral health problems. DoD has developed guidelines which adopt the CDC recommendations for lead screening and testing and DoD provided those guidelines to the military services in September 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Screening and testing is important to detect the problem early and provide treatment. Recommendations for treatment vary based on the amount of lead found in the child\u2019s blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\t