Lead Poisoning Prevention
In Minnesota, approximately 1.2 million homes were built before 1978. Many of these pre-1978 homes contain some lead paint. Because lead is commonly found in the environment, activities carried out by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Lead Program affect virtually all residents of Minnesota. Children under 6 years old and pregnant women are the most vulnerable to lead and are considered to have elevated lead levels if their blood test results are greater than 10 ug/dL. Although there has been a dramatic decline in national blood lead levels over the past 15-20 years, childhood lead poisoning continues to be a major, preventable environmental health problem.
The MDH lead program addresses this environmental health problem in three ways:
- primary prevention through educational materials,
- providing guidance and support to individuals exposed to lead, and
- providing compliance assistance to contractors and property owners addressing lead issues in residential housing
By using this approach, MDH fulfills the three core public health functions of assessment, assurance, and policy/planning.
Spotlight
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MDH announces Healthy Homes Strategic Planning (PDF 112KB/2 pages)
MDH proposing Lead Rule changes
MDH addresses EPA RRP paint chip sampling
MDH launches new interactive maps and queries for childhood lead poisoning data.