{"id":19094,"date":"2023-12-12T16:15:51","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T21:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/?p=19094"},"modified":"2026-05-19T14:55:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:55:09","slug":"rhhd-takes-on-lead-poisoning-with-new-recall-binder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/2023\/12\/12\/rhhd-takes-on-lead-poisoning-with-new-recall-binder\/","title":{"rendered":"RHHD takes on lead poisoning with new recall binder"},"content":{"rendered":"

In November,\u00a0the company WanBana recalled WanaBana, Weis, and Schnucks apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches and cinnamon apple sauce\u00a0after reports of elevated lead levels in the products. RHHD Lead Case Manager Jordan Albright added the recall\u2014with color images of the three products\u2014to<\/span>\u00a0the Lead Recall Binder she\u2019s begun taking with her when she visits families dealing with lead exposure.Lead recalls are serious, because\u00a0no safe level of lead has been identified in children. \u201cLead is a metal that can compete with most cells in your body,\u201d Jordan explains. \u201cIt affects every body system\u2014especially developing brains. You won\u2019t see symptoms until lead levels are really high, but it can still be there causing problems. So it\u2019s important for parents\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0know where lead might come from and\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0talk\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0pediatricians about testing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kids can be\u00a0tested for lead\u00a0at regular Well Child pediatricians\u2019 visits, and refugee and immigrant children often receive lead screening upon their arrival in the U.S. If a child\u2019s lead level is higher than average, CDC recommends\u00a0specific steps\u00a0based on the specific level. These cases are often referred\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0a local health department like RHHD.<\/p>\n

For households experiencing lead levels higher than 20 on the measurement scale, RHHD\u2019s\u00a0Lead Safe team\u00a0will take soil samples and measure lead levels in everyday household items. If the level is slightly lower but still dangerously elevated, a nurse with lead expertise like Jordan comes for a home visit.<\/p>\n

Jordan acts like a detective, walking families through the home and helping them figure out what might be causing increased lead exposure. \u201cHome visits are difficult, because you\u2019re trying\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0help parents identify all the possible lead sources in their home,\u201d Jordan says. \u201cA lot of my patients are small children who spend the entire hour with their hands or\u00a0to<\/span>ys in their mouths. So knowing what\u00a0to<\/span>ys have been recalled is a big deal. And then the\u00a0[recent WanaBana] applesauce recall\u00a0is very scary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jordan can ask families\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0talk her through the foods and objects they use regularly, but this step often requires a lot of texting back and forth outside of the visit itself. And because many of Jordan\u2019s patients are children from Afghanistan,\u00a0a community with particularly high lead levels, an interpreter frequently helps with communication.<\/p>\n

These challenges are exactly why Jordan developed the Lead Recall Binder. She scours the VDH Lead Safe website, Consumer Reports, and the FDA, and prints off lead-related recalls. And she credits an unsung public health hero with helping her get the binder\u00a0to<\/span>gether: RHHD\u2019s IT team. Spartak Veliu helped Jordan print professional-looking color images\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0ensure that the binder\u2019s information would be as clear as possible.<\/p>\n

Color images for each recalled product are especially key so that non-English speaking families will be able\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0identify items in their home. \u201cI\u2019ve show parents pictures before on the phone, but this is easier and just bigger,\u201d Jordan says. \u201cIt feels more official and communicates that we\u2019re prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n

On her first home visit with the binder, a Spanish-speaking mother immediately identified a food product in her home that had been recalled. While Jordan will keep working with the family\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0locate other possible lead sources, seeing the binder have such an immediate impact is heartening, and RHHD\u2019s nursing team plans on expanding this resource.<\/p>\n

Jealous of Jordan\u2019s awesome binder? Here are some other strategies for tracking recalls and protecting developing brains against lead:<\/p>\n