LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentuckians living in homes built before 1978 could be at risk for lead poisoning.
The Louisville’s health department is working to help families detect lead in their homes and prevent lead poisoning.
For nearly 40 years, Marty Carter has worked at the Louisville Metro’s Department of Public Health and Wellness.
She teaches people how to prevent lead poisoning and how to test their paint for lead.
“We advise for people to go through their homes, check out what they want to test first, and then go back and test and keep a list of it. If your paint turns red, then you need to get on the phone and call us and let us know what’s going on because we are both proactive and reactive,” Carter said.
The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program works to educate families about the hazards of lead poisoning and provide resources like test kits.
Testing for lead is simple. Spray solution on the paint and wait to see if the color shows traces of lead. If results are positive, homeowners may be eligible for up to $17,000 in assistance to remove lead hazards through the Office of Housing and Community Development.
Nick Hart is the director of the Division of Environmental Health. According to him, no amount of lead in the blood is safe and can affect cognitive development.
He says lead poisoning can affect everyone, but children under six and pregnant women should especially be focused on preventing lead poisoning.
“It can impact the brain. The nervous system can back our ability to speak, in our ability to hear, see, just think of it like a traumatic brain injury. Lead exposure is equivalent to being hit in the brain with a baseball bat,” Hart said.
The Louisville Health Department reports nearly 10,000 children in Louisville tested positive for elevated blood-lead levels from 2005 to 2021.
The department says children living in homes in certain northwest Louisville zip codes are ten times more likely to develop lead poisoning compared to the rest of the city. Many of the homes were built before 1978.
Resident living in the following zip codes should ask a healthcare provider to screen for lead in their blood.
40203, 40210, 40211, 40212, 40215.
“Children are our most precious commodities. Children are the future. If a child’s not safe, if a child’s not healthy, then our whole United States is not going to be healthy. Our whole neighborhood, our whole community is at risk,” Carter said.
Lead combat kits are available to people who are at risk for lead poisoning in their homes and have children under six or are pregnant through the health department.
The health department is launching the Lead Hazard Reduction Program in December. All rental residential buildings built before 1978 are required to register with Louisville Metro Government.