LANSING – The fear of having children tested for lead poisoning in Oakland County may be more deadly than the toxic metal that is silently poisoning developing brains and nervous systems.

When Marge Gorman, a professor of nursing and health at Madonna University in Livonia, tried last year to test three Detroit children for lead poisoning, she saw that fear face-to-face. 

Gorman said the family was most likely in the U.S. on illegal status and didn’t want to provide their names and address.  They were living in a rental property, buildings that often contain older, lead-based paint, she said.

“The mother wanted the children to get tested, but the father was afraid,” Gorman said. 

“As soon as he found out we wanted his name and address, he took the kids and left,” she said.

Gorman said names and addresses must be collected because it takes two weeks to process blood tests.

“People who are here on immigrant status are often reluctant to make themselves known to the government,” said Janet Olszewski, director of the Michigan Department of Community Health.

The family’s situation is symbolic of the hundreds of children in Oakland County who have not been tested for lead poisoning.  Without early detection, many of them may suffer from irreversible learning disabilities, life-threatening illnesses, violent behavior and even death.

Of the children relying on Medicaid younger than 2 years, only 53 percent have been tested, said Evelyn Reinke, a nursing supervisor at the Oakland County Health Division.

County health care providers fear that children affected by lead poisoning may end up in special education programs and even jail.

“There’s hyperactivity, lack of impulse control and aggression – these individuals don’t have good judgment, can’t read or get a job,” Gorman said. “These are all things that can send you to prison.”

In 2005, lead poisoning was confirmed in 3,100 children in Michigan, Gorman said.

An increase in learning disabilities from poisoning would require more special education programs, Reinke said.  In addition, 20 percent of the inmates in the Michigan prison have been found to suffer from lead poisoning – and with inadequate testing, that percentage may grow, she said.

“We’re incurring the cost, but we can’t find out why Johnny can’t learn and why he ends up in the penal system,” Reinke said.  “No community can afford to have their children be lead poisoned.”

Children are most often poisoned when they chew on pieces of peeling paint or swallow house dust or soil that contains tiny chips of leaded paint in older buildings.  Lead-based paint is most common in houses and apartment buildings build before 1960.  Lead has not been used in house paint since 1978.  But lead from house renovations can also be in air, water and food.

Lead is a soft, heavy, toxic metal used in building construction, lead-acid batteries, bullets, some paints, vinyl mini-blinds, old water pipes and many cheaply manufactured products, including toys.

“Toddlers from 12 to 36 months mouth things, they put everything in their mouths,” Reinke said.  “They have a rapid neurological growth and are very susceptible to poisoning.”

Young children who ingest lead may show no obvious effects of poisoning early on.  Families can receive free blood tests from private health care providers, Medicare, and the Women, Infants and Children program, a federal health and nutrition program for healthy mothers and babies.

The real threat stems from lack of knowledge, Reinke said.

“Imagine a family who needs to paint their swing set,” she said of the waterproof, heavy-duty paint.  “All the kids play on the swing set and get lead poisoning.”

Reinke said that within Oakland County, Pontiac is at the highest risk, designated by the Centers for Disease Control as one of 13 “target cities,” because of its age, industries and large number of pre-1950 homes.

Gorman said the testing would be more successful if nurses could provide immediate results for families without collecting names and addresses.

“They’re suspicious of people coming to their door and saying they should get their children tested – and even leaving material,” Gorman said.

Sen. Martha Scott, D-Highland Park, has taken up the cause.  Scott is raising money to help Madonna University buy a LeadCare machine to conduct anonymous, immediate, on-site blood tests.

“Whether they’re here legally or illegally, the children need to be tested,” Scott said.  “If they could get a special machine and do their own testing, these children would be able to get some attention before they get too old.”