ST PAUL, Minn. — It's been banned for almost five decades, yet according to a 2021 Minnesota Department of Health report, nearly 1 million homes statewide still have lead-based paint.
And that's the main way young kids are exposed to lead — with peeling paint beating out both lead found in drinking water and contaminated soil.
Dr. Stephanie Yendell supervises the state health department's lead poisoning prevention program.
"A tiny little bit of lead dust can flake off into the house and then over time that builds up," Yendell explained. "Lead affects especially children who are under the age of 6 because those kids interact with their environment by crawling around on the floor. They're touching window sills. They're putting things in their mouths."
Yendell says most kids are diagnosed through routine blood tests at ages 1 and 2 years old.
"At the time they're diagnosed, most kids are not showing any signs or symptoms so they look perfectly healthy and normal but then they have difficulty later on with learning and development," she said.
An MDH map tracking elevated lead levels in kids under three shows where cases are higher than state average. In addition to St. Louis County up north, there are a cluster of impacted counties in the south and southeast.
"In southeast Minnesota, we have a number of areas that have more than the average amount of kids with elevated blood lead levels. We have a lot of older homes, we have a lot of low-income families," Yendell said.
Now though, there's new opportunity for eligible families owning or renting homes built before 1978 to make their homes safer.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded MDH $3.8 million in grant funding. Yendell says that's enough for 90 homes to get a free assessment and fix hazards — including, but not limited to, lead paint — across these 11 southeastern counties: Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha and Winona.
Last year at this time, HUD granted Hennepin County more than $6.7 million to do similar work.
"The City of Minneapolis also has a similar program through HUD. Ramsey County has had various sources of funding," Yendell said. "They don't have a grant through HUD right now, but they do have a window replacement program."
The grant presented to MDH on Tuesday is good for four years. Those who are pregnant and those with kids under 6 are especially encouraged to apply. Eligibility requirements and application instructions are listed here.
Although adults aren't as likely to be crawling around ingesting paint chips, lead exposure certainly comes with certain jobs. MDH says this is also a great reminder at the beginning of hunting season to use non-toxic ammunition, especially if you're going to eat the game you harvest.
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