SLCo Lead Safe Housing Process
This video explains more information about lead and what the Lead Safe Housing program can do for you.
This program helps doctors test children under the age of 6 for lead poisoning. Although there is no safe amount of lead, lead testing can help doctors find the best treatment or program to reduce its impact on a child. If a child lives in Salt Lake County and has a blood test result of 3.5 µg/dL (micrograms per deciliter) or above, they can receive services from Salt Lake County’s Lead Home Visiting Program. This program offers visits for families to teach them about lead poisoning and to find and reduce possible sources of lead in their homes. Learn more about the Lead Home Visiting Program in the “Home Visiting Program” section below.
Children can be exposed to lead by swallowing lead, breathing in lead dust, or touching things that have lead in them and then putting their hands or fingers in their mouth. Children under the age of 6 are at higher risk for lead poisoning than adults because:
Children and families who come to the United States from other countries or have been recently adopted from outside of the United States may also be at higher risk.
Caregivers who work with lead at their job or as a hobby can bring it home on their clothes, which can get on to their children’s clothes or in their play area. This may include hobbies or jobs such as:
Lead can be found in the soil around your home.
Drinking water that runs through old water pipes or water taps.
The spices below have been used in food, cosmetics, and home remedies and may contain lead.
Try to use other ingredients instead when cooking or making home remedies. Before buying makeup products, read the ingredient list for any of the above spices.
It can seem scary if you or your child has tested positive for lead. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce your family's exposure to lead.
Following the cleaning tips below, removing products that have lead in them, and having a healthy diet are simple ways that you can lower your family’s exposure to lead.
Foods that are high in Calcium, Iron, and Vitamin C may reduce the amount of lead that the body takes in.
CDC's blood lead reference value (BLRV) is 3.5 µg/dL. This means that children who have a blood lead level above that value should be retested to confirm the level and the source of the lead in their blood should be identified.
Children with lead exposure are at risk for:
However, most children do not show any symptoms of lead poisoning until they have reached a high level of lead in their blood. Early detection and prevention of lead poisoning are very important. If you think that your child has been exposed to lead, talk to your child’s doctor about getting a blood test.
The best way to treat lead poisoning is to remove the source of lead. If blood lead levels are very high, your doctor may recommend other types of treatment.
There are two types of testing that may be used to test for lead poisoning:
While there is no known safe level of lead in the blood, the following ranges can help doctors find the best treatment for a patient based on how much lead is in their blood.
Your child has been exposed to little or no lead. No retesting is necessary right now. Retesting may be necessary if your child's risk of lead exposure changes. It is also recommended that all children be tested for lead poisoning at their one and two year old well child exams.
Your child has been exposed to a small amount of lead. Have your child retested within 3 months to confirm the blood lead level. The Salt Lake County Home Visiting Team may be able to help you identify and reduce sources of lead in your home.
Your child has been exposed to some amount of lead. Have your child retested within 1 month to confirm the blood lead level.
Your child has been exposed to a moderate to large amount of lead. Have your child retested within 2 weeks to confirm the test result. Discuss possible treatment options with your child's physician.
Your child has been exposed to a dangerous amount of lead. Have your child retested within 48 hours to confirm the test results. Your child's doctor may recommend hospitalization or emergency treatment.
Salt Lake County’s Lead Education Home Visiting program teaches families with children who have high blood lead levels about lead poisoning and helps them to lower their children’s exposure to lead.
The first step to participate in the Lead Home Visiting program is to have your child’s blood lead level tested by a doctor. This is done through a simple blood test.
If your child has a blood lead level of 3.5 µg/dL (micrograms per deciliter) or higher, the health department will contact you to schedule a home visit. Participation in the program is optional and free.
Once you finish the Lead Education Home Visiting Program, you can get incentives and referrals to community programs that will help you stay safe from lead.
A member of the home visiting team will call you to introduce the program, ask some questions about you and your family, and schedule an appointment for your home visit. This phone call will take 5-10 minutes.
A member of the home visiting team will visit with you in your home or virtually.
About 3 months after your home visit, a member of the home visiting team will call you to check in.