Under Maryland law, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade public school students who have lived in areas that put them at risk for exposure to lead must have their blood lead levels tested before the start of the 2003-2004 school year.

Mary O'Malley, of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, says the state has generated a list of "at-risk" Zip codes, based on the age of an area's housing and on how well its homes are maintained. Children who now live or have ever lived in these areasmust be tested. At a health fair this week, the Anne Arundel County Department of Health is offering information about lead poisoning prevention and thescreening requirements.

Carol Lawrence, from the Anne Arundel County agency, says children exposed to high levels of lead often suffer from learning disabilities, behavioral problems and seizures. She says her program connects children whose tests show high levels of lead to appropriate services. A nurse usually works with parents of exposed children to make their homes safe. "Most people think lead only comes from children eating paint chips," Lawrence says, but it more often comes from lead-tainted dust on furniture, toys and in the air. Homes built before 1978 often have lead paint beneath newer layers of lead-free paint. When walls and window frames crack and peel, dust from the lead-based paint can spread throughout the home, she says.

The Walk Thru the Park Health Fair will offer information about lead poisoning prevention and testing requirements on May 31, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Harbor Hospital HealthPark, 8109 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena. For a list of "at-risk" Zip codes in Maryland counties -- including two in Montgomery County, 26 in Prince George's County, five in Anne Arundel County, one in Howard County and seven in Frederick County -- see www.fha.state.md.us/och/pdf/MarylandDHMHBloodLeadTestingCertificateDHMH4620.pdf. For more information about lead poisoning prevention in Maryland, call 410-767-6713.

-- Diane Knich