Healthy Kids Minnesota biomonitoring program available to Cook County kids

A biomonitoring program called Healthy Kids Minnesota is offering a one-of-a-kind opportunity for children ages three to six to participate in a state-wide initiative to identify potential exposure to harmful chemicals.  

The Minnesota Department of Health is partnering with numerous counties across the state, including Cook County, to formulate a deeper look into the need to protect preschoolers from chemicals. Although the program will not study the specific health effects of participants, the study findings will help determine whether chemical levels differ between groups over time. 

Children between the ages of three and six who have completed the Early Childhood Screening between 2022 and now or are due for one can participate. Besides learning about their exposure to harmful chemicals through a one-time urine sample analysis, participants will benefit by receiving a free well-water test that includes heavy metal analysis and a $40 Visa gift card.

“For this program, we’re looking at close to 70 different chemicals,” Jessica Nelson, the program director and epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health, said. The 70 chemicals include metals from food and drinking water sources, pesticides, plastic products, and exposure to air pollution. 

“We’re concerned about all these chemicals because they can affect child development,” Nelson said. “We want to see what exposures are in kids in our state and find ways to reduce those exposures that younger kids are having.”

Nelson said the Department of Health has nearly finished screenings in southeast Minnesota and the Twin Cities area. The agency is now focusing its efforts on the northeast Minnesota region. Nelson said they have almost 850 kids who have participated in the program. 

The Cook County Public Health Educator Andrea Tofte said the Healthy Kids Minnesota screening is available the same day as Early Childhood Screening for young kids. For kids that have already completed the Early Childhood Screening, Tofte said she could do home visits or meet them in a safe location such as the courthouse or ISD 166 nurses’ office to do the screening. 

Nelson said state-wide participation has been going well. “We’re finding that families are interested. They really see this as a unique opportunity to get this kind of information.”

To participate in the Healthy Kids Minnesota biomonitoring program, contact Andrea Tofte at andrea.tofte@co.cook.mn.us.

To learn more about the program, visit: Healthy Kids Minnesota.

WTIP’s CJ Heithoff spoke with Jessica Nelson, the program director and epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health, and Andrea Tofte, the Cook County public health educator, to learn more about the program. The audio from the interview is below. 

Kalli Hawkins May 22, 2023