Health and Community Services staff responds to reports of elevated blood lead levels in children. Elevated blood lead in children causes learning problems and neurological damage. Environmental Health Division staff will do a joint visit with a public health nurse to the homes of children with elevated blood lead levels and examine children's living quarters for lead paint hazards. During home visits, staff counsels parents on ways to reduce exposure to lead paint hazards, and advise parents on how to obtain appropriate medical treatment for the children.

Environmental Health Division can identify lead paint hazards in children's living environments so that parents and property owners can make a child's living environment lead-safe or lead-free. Lead-safe dwellings have lead paint present but contained beneath protective surfaces. Lead-free dwellings are free of lead paint by means of abatement.

Environmental Health Division provides lead hazard assessment service to community housing agencies that need lead paint risk assessments. The staff providing this service are certified lead paint risk assessors in Michigan.

Environmental Health Division and other department staff provide information and educational assistance on childhood lead poisoning prevention upon request and at health fairs.

In Kalamazoo County, three neighborhoods with high incidences of elevated blood lead in children have in excess of 9,000 children less than six years of age. Approximately one-third of the housing in these neighborhoods is likely to contain lead based paint. In 1999, 6% of 1,300 children screened in these neighborhoods had elevated blood lead counts. (Housing built before 1978 has been identified as at risk for lead paint hazards.)

The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program shares an active website with the Michigan Department of Community Health that is updated on a weekly basis.

Helpful Links:

Michigan Department of Community Health
US Environmental Protection Agency
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention