Allegheny County Health Department releases new assessment on children with lead poisoning
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Allegheny County Health Department recently released new numbers on how many kids in the county have lead poisoning.
The results show 10 communities where 10-20% of the kids tested positive for lead, which can cause developmental delays, but many families can get free lead testing and remediation.
That's what Stephanie Watson of Westwood got at the home she's renting. Paint is peeling off the exterior windows and other parts of the home that was built in the 1920s, and a lead inspection found lead in the paint, something common in paint before 1978.
That's a big concern for Watson, whose daughter, Monique, has asthma, allergies, and cystic fibrosis, and whose son, Mykel, has autism.
"He likes to touch things a lot as a sensory thing, so he goes around and he picks paint off things and sometimes he'll rub it really bad. Like, if he's sitting in the chair, he'll take his hand and scratch it," Watson says.
She asked for the home she's renting to be tested as part of the Allegheny Lead Safe Homes program.
"My mind was going a million ways of what can happen and what can't happen, and things like that, so I just wanted to do what I could," she said.
The Allegheny County Health Department's new assessment of lead levels is based on mandatory lead testing of kids at ages 1 and 2. It shows about 3.1% of children under 6 had lead poisoning in 2023.
Certain zip codes have extremely high levels, including Wilmerding, with 21.7% of kids testing positive for lead in their blood, 21% in Neville Island, and 15% in Corliss, Sheraden, Braddock, and Rankin.
Several more communities have between 10–14% of kids with elevated lead levels, including Bunola, Pitcairn, Monroeville, McKeesport, Duquesne, East McKeesport, and Mt. Oliver and St. Clair in Pittsburgh.
"We have old schools. We have old homes, and as a result, we know there is exposure to lead in those spaces. Our goal is to ensure that those spaces are free of lead and that children aren't harmed because we know there's no safe amount of lead exposure," says Michele Naccarati-Chapkis, Executive Director of Women for a Healthy Environment.
Sixty percent of housing units in Pittsburgh were built before 1950, and 39% in Allegheny County, when lead was common in paint.
"It could possibly be coming from friction surfaces – doors, windows, things that scrape, smack, steps, things like that are walked upon. That can cause lead dust through the house, which is a big concern with children under 6 because of the hand-mouth activity," according to Billie Jo Oldroyd, owner of BEcon Lead Paint Inspection Services.
Lead inspectors with BEcon use a device to test for lead down to the original layers. Even lead on exterior paint can be tracked inside, and ingested by kids on the floor or crawling. They also take dust samples to test for lead that can be in the air.
The testing is free through the Allegheny Lead Safe program, which is for properties built before 1978, and for families with kids under age 6 in or visiting the home and who meet certain income qualifications.
Watson qualified because she rented the home in Westwood, and her landlord agreed to the testing.
Now that lead has been detected, the remediation will also be free under the program. It will pay for her and her kids to stay at a hotel while the repairs are made, likely including new windows and sashes, among other changes.
"I'm so ecstatic. It's a blessing," she says. "Single mothers and single fathers, you know, we need these programs to keep up, and it's important to us as parents to take care of our children."
When Stephanie's brother was just 4, she says he tested positive for extremely high lead levels and experienced developmental delays. Lead was discovered in a sand pit in their backyard where he played, so she's especially conscientious about lead.
To see if you qualify for the free lead testing, go to some of the following links.
Information from Lead Safe Allegheny can be found here.
Information from Lead Safe Westmoreland can be found here.
Information from Lead and Healthy Homes (Lawrence County) can be found here.