Attention, upcountry Maui moms and dads: Those of you who still need to have your children tested for lead poisoning are running up against a deadline. It's June 30.

The state issued "requisitions" for the tests beginning about a year ago, after discovering children in some upcountry homes were more likely to have high lead levels in their bodies.

The tests are being paid for by a $500,000 Environmental Protection Agency grant, which also covers testing of the upcountry water system.

According to the state Health Department, 250 children have been screened; 500 children who need to be screened have not come in for the bloodwork.

The time to procrastinate is over.

Childhood exposure to lead can cause nervous system disorders, lowered IQs, impaired memory and reaction times, shortened attention spans and a variety of other problems, according to the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency. At extremely high levels, it can lead to seizures and death.

Children with elevated lead levels do not necessarily show symptoms at first, but the effects are cumulative, said Pamela Grossman, project coordinator for Upcountry Maui Water Quality Issues on Maui.

"We have the money sitting here for these people to be tested for free," Grossman said. "We want them to take advantage of it."

For more information, contact Grossman on Maui at (808) 281-9679.