Hundreds of Kent County children are needlessly poisoned by lead every year. To help children thrive and succeed in life, we need to ensure that the homes where they live are free from lead hazards. Lead poisoning is 100% preventable. If homes are made lead safe, children will be protected.
Lead is a naturally occurring metal that has been added to various products, most notably lead-based paint.
When ingested, lead travels through the blood stream to the brain, nervous system, kidneys, and other organs. Lead can then be stored in bones, leading to long-term exposure.
Since 1978, Federal and State regulations have banned the sale of lead-based paint. However, lead is still found in the majority of older homes and in the soil around them.
An estimated 90% of all childhood lead poisoning cases in Kent County are the result of deteriorating lead-based paint and lead dust found in the home. This dangerous dust can be found in any home built before 1978, the year lead-based paint was banned. More than 85% of the housing stock in the City of Grand Rapids, and many others throughout Kent County, were built before 1978.
Infants and toddlers have the highest risk of being lead poisoned, especially when they begin to crawl and become mobile. All children living in older homes or high-risk communities should be tested at their one and two-year well child visits.
There are no reliable symptoms of lead poisoning. Waiting for symptoms is dangerous, as visible symptoms come too late —after long-lasting damage to the child. Instead of relying on symptoms, parents should get a blood test for their child at one and two years of age as recommended.
Lead poisoning in children causes life-long brain damage. Even small amounts of lead can have negative effects on children:
Lead poisoning is 100% preventable! Making homes lead-safe prevents children from being poisoned.
Click here for lead services for families
Click here for lead services for landlords
Click here for the Get the Lead Out! home repair program.
To learn more about making homes lead-safe, contact the Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan at (616) 241-3300.
Childhood lead poisoning causes irreversible brain damage, but is 100% preventable!
State of Michigan Certified Lead Inspectors(38 KB)
MDCH Guidelines for Testing Kids(20 KB)
AAP Guidelines for Elevated Lead Levels(112 KB)
Lead Safe Cleaning(1.3 MB)
Guide to Lead Safe Renting(446 KB)
MDHHS Lead Safe Home Program(279 KB)
Lead Paint Safety(1.4 MB)
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When Tasha began attending Parents for Healthy Homes’ Monday Matters meetings, she wasn’t sure where she fit in. Tasha’s son was poisoned by lead in the ’90s. At the meetings, she found strength in learning she wasn’t the only one that had to fight for her child.
She says, “you don’t find a lot of parent groups that have the support, and they’re trying to take action... there is a small group of us, but we fight for so many parents.”
In the coming weeks, the Healthy Homes Coalition will be re-launching its fire safety program in a special campaign to reach Spanish-speaking families in the city of Wyoming.
What the Eyes Don't See is the title of Flint heroine Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha’s book about the Flint water crisis. It’s an appropriate title for a book where behind the scenes dealing resulted in thousands of children ingesting lead through their drinking water. However, it's also an accurate statement when it comes to children being poisoned by lead in communities like Grand Rapids that have long had safe drinking water.
We need to be able to see lead. The technology to measure lead in the environment has existed for decades. This technology needs to be used to stop kids from hurting. Learn five specific ways to make invisible lead hazards visible.