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Healthy Homes - Lead Protecting your family from lead

Blood Lead Screenings

Galion Health Department also offers Blood Lead Screenings. This includes a blood test via finger stick to determine the current lead level in the blood. This service is offered to children ages 1-6 years of age and to women of child-bearing years.  Blood Lead Screenings are $25. Those paying at the time of service are eligible for a discount.  Insurance/Medicaid is also accepted.

Lead Poisoning

  • Lead Poisoning is one of the most common preventable pediatric health problems today. There is NO safe level of lead in the blood. Lead poisoning occurs when the level of lead in the blood reaches 3.5μg/dL or greater.
  • Until 1978, lead was used in paint, plumbing and many other things. It can be found in and around your home in dust, chipping paint on windows, doors, stairs, railings, and porches, water from old pipes, and in the ground where children play.
  • Your family can also be at risk if you visit a place where there is a potential for lead concerns such as a family member’s home or child care, and if an adult in your home has a hobby or job working with lead.
  • Lead is unsafe for everyone, but especially for children under 6 years of age and pregnant women. Young children eat, chew, and suck on lead painted surfaces they can reach, and spend a lot of time close to the floor where they can breathe lead dust. If lead gets in your child’s body, it can make them very sick. Lead is a brain poison and can make it hard for your child to learn and grow. At higher levels of exposure, lead poisoning can cause severe developmental delays, convulsions, coma, and death. If you are exposed to lead while pregnant you could have a higher than normal chance of having a miscarriage or stillbirth. Lead can also cause your baby to be born too small or born too soon.

Home Renovations

Federal law requires that individuals receive certain information before renovating six square feet or more of painted surfaces in a room for interior projects or more than twenty square feet of painted surfaces for exterior projects in housing, child care facilities and schools built before 1978. Also, beginning April 2010, federal will require contractors that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities and schools, built before 1978 to be certified and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. Remember to ask to see your contractor’s certification before starting any home remodeling.

Keep your home a Healthy Home:

  • Keep it Dry
  • Keep it Clean
  • Keep it Safe
  • Keep it Well-Ventilated
  • Keep it Pest Free
  • Keep it Contaminant Free
  • Keep it Well-Maintained

Links

Ohio Department of Health - Lead

Environmental Protection Agency - Lead

US Department of Housing and Urban Development