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The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma's Health Service will begin screening young children for blood lead content as a standard protocol thanks to a grant award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

A related award was made to the tribe’s Community Development/Environmental Services department for outreach education on the health risks associated with exposure to lead-based paint and other sources of the hazardous element.

"This is a very important grant", said Dr. Gloria Teague, Cherokee Nation Health Services medical director. "The one-year award of approximately $50,000 will be used to purchase equipment and supplies without which we have been unable to screen these children."

The U.S. Center for Disease Control recommends screening all children less than 6 years of age, according to risk factor guidelines. Native Americans are in a high-risk category according to Cherokee Nation epidemiologist Sohail Khan.

"National health and nutrition surveys show that minority populations are at greater risk for diseases associated with exposure to lead than others because they often live in older houses that still contain lead-based paint", said Khan. Exposure to lead in the home environment can lead to many types of diseases, according to Khan, including mental retardation.

Shaun West of the Cherokee Nation Community Development’s environmental health service said a program has been in place for the past three years to test homes for lead exposure risk, but a missing element has been the identification of clues that would lead clean-up crews to the homes that need the service. He said screening these young children will likely result in more referrals from the tribe’s health clinics to his department.

"Once you find out what the problem is, you still have to educate people on how to change their environment," West said. The $48,000 EPA companion grant award will fund education and other forms of community outreach.

Khan said principal investigator for the screening program is Joanna Harris, laboratory advisor for the Cherokee Nation. In addition to reports to the CDC, lab results from the screens will be tracked and added to the tribe's health statistic database to help evaluate health service priorities.

Persons interested in learning more about the hazards of lead contamination or the potential risk to their children may contact West, phone: 918-456-0671, (ext.2738), or contact the Cherokee Nation Health Service facility nearest them.