PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Lead risk assessors in Pennsylvania are educating people about lead poisoning prevention and how there could be more than one source right under your nose.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 460 lead poisoning cases across the country have been tied to the ongoing applesauce recall. About two dozen of those cases were reported in Pennsylvania.

“Lead is a poison, and it doesn’t belong in the body. It has no use in the body,” said Joyce Ravinskas, program manager of the UPMC Lead Poisoning Prevention and Education Program in Central Pennsylvania.

The program receives referrals for kids with elevated lead levels in their blood. The program’s risk assessors inspect homes to determine the sources.

Ravinskas said they think paint first, but they don’t rule anything out.

“We did have one child in New Cumberland, Cumberland County and we tested the house, we tested the soil, we tested the water, and we could not find anything,” Ravinskas said.

They always ask the parents where they think the lead came from.

“And she said I think it’s this squeezable applesauce maybe. She looked into and I looked in and that was the cause of her child’s high lead level,” Ravinskas said.

The Pennsylvania Health Department’s latest report has 22 probable lead poisoning cases and one suspected case tied to the squeezable applesauce recall, which was first reported in October 2023. The cases are in 11 counties in Pennsylvania, including Allegheny, Mercer and Erie counties. 

Ravinskas said they were a bit surprised to hear about the applesauce lead recall.

“We used to think things that were sold domestically were safe,” she said.

She said that’s not the case anymore. Just over the last three months, the Pennsylvania Department of Health sounded the alarm about several other lead recalls for children’s products, including certain brands of stainless steel cups, sippy cups, craft buttons, a rhinestone tiara and a family croquet set.

Ravinskas’ colleague, lead risk assessor Kevin Kauffman, said lead is an accumulative poison.

“All different areas, the house, the water, the soil, the toys, all of these different areas actually combine up in the body. So, it’s not usually one source that we find,” said Kauffman.

“Ingesting or inhaling lead is lead. It doesn’t matter which way,” said Ravinskas.

They’ve seen an increase in doctor referrals coming in for children with high lead levels, but Ravinskas attributes that rise to more lead education, especially for doctors and parents.

She said they’re concerned mostly about kids aged 6 and younger. What’s worrisome for parents is sometimes they don’t spot symptoms until their child is in school.

“It’s that inability to concentrate, the inability to remember, and that’s what lead does to a child because it does affect mostly the brain and the nervous system and their intellect. But it affects them emotionally, it affects them physically, it affects them developmentally,” Ravinskas said.

They said if your child is at risk or they’ve been exposed to lead recall products, you should talk to their doctor and get your child’s blood tested. They said it’s also important for women who are pregnant to get their blood tested.

According to the CDC, parents should talk to their child’s health care provider about whether their child needs to be tested for lead. The CDC said children who live or spend time in a house or building built before 1978, are from low-income households, or are immigrants, refugees, or recently adopted from less developed countries are more likely to be exposed to lead. 

You can learn more about UPMC’s Lead Poisoning Prevention and Education Program on its website. Leaders are happy to advise families in Western Pennsylvania.   

Get the Lead Out Pittsburgh is a public awareness campaign. The organization’s website has helpful information. They encourage people to learn the sources of lead, including paint, dust, soil, imported cosmetics and spices, and such items as vintage toys. Get the Lead Out Pittsburgh screens for lead in household goods, spices, toys, etc. You can call their office at 412-404-2872 to make an appointment.   

Pennsylvania has a lead information line, which is 1-800-440-LEAD.