U.S. Rep. John Katko on Friday called on the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to boost efforts to prevent lead poisoning and strengthen testing for children following a report that found a decrease in blood lead level testing for children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Katko, in a letter to the CDC, urged officials to place a renewed emphasis on blood level lead testing as pandemic-related restrictions start to subside. The letter also comes after the city of Syracuse was slow to implement a new measure combating child lead poisoning.

“With vulnerable communities in our districts still reeling from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot allow these same populations to be placed at further risk as a result of undetected lead poisoning," Katko wrote in the letter to the CDC. "For this reason, we request recommendations from the CDC on steps that can be taken to improve rates of BLL testing during the COVID-19 pandemic and as our nation moves toward recovery."

Blood level lead testing can play a key role in determining whether children have been exposed to lead and jump-starting prevention efforts to avoid the consequences that can last a lifetime due to lead exposure.

"These efforts are essential to protecting American children and families from the devastating and lifelong impacts of lead poisoning, while also ensuring that our BLL testing programs are well-situated to continue monitoring for hazards in our communities in years to come," Katko wrote.

The CDC's report estimated the drop in testing for lead exposure means thousands of children with elevated lead levels may have been missed.