Lead Poison Prevention Program

Lead poisoning is caused by swallowing or breathing in lead. Lead is a metal that can harm children and adults when it gets into their bodies. There are many sources of lead. Lead can be found in dust, air, water, soil, and in some products used in and around our homes. It can also harm a young child's growth, behavior, and ability to learn. Children under six years old are more likely to get lead poisoning than any other age group. Most often, children get lead poisoning from breathing in or swallowing dust from old lead paint that gets on floors and windowsills, hands and toys. Lead can also be passed from mother to baby during pregnancy. The most common test for lead is a blood test. It measures how much lead is in your bloodstream. A person with lead poisoning usually does not look or feel sick. New York State requires health care providers to test all children for lead with a blood lead test at age 1 year and again at age 2 years. At every well-child visit up to age six, health care providers must ask parents about any contact their child might have had with lead. If there's been a chance of contact, providers are required to test for lead again. Parents can ask their child's doctor or nurse if their child should get a lead test, and what the lead test results mean. Great progress has been made, but lead is still a threat to many children. The New York State Department of Health's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP), in partnership with local health departments and the health care provider community, coordinates a wide range of efforts to prevent, detect, and treat children with elevated levels of lead. One of those efforts is to provide lead-safe interim housing in some communities for families of children being treated for an elevated blood lead level of 20ug/dL or greater while the lead hazards in their environments are addressed. By law, the property owner is required to correct hazardous lead conditions when a child under age six is identified as having an elevated blood lead level of 20 mcg/dL or higher. Ridgewood Bushwick provides comfortable lead safe interim housing for families of children being treated for lead poisoning, while their homes are being lead abated. If your child has been tested for an elevated blood lead level and you need information about Interim Lead Safe House, please call us at 347-920-4284 Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm, or visit our interim lead safe located at 857 Hart Street in Brooklyn. Our program also provides families with case assistance, information and referrals.