Lead paint has been off the market since 1978, but it remains on the walls of many older homes around Cleveland. That's why so many children are still showing up with elevated levels of lead in their blood. A coalition of health boards in the Greater Cleveland area is hoping to increase awareness of the problem. Health officials in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Lakewood and Shaker Heights are announcing this week a new, lower threshold for child lead poisoning that's half the old level. That means far more children will be considered to have dangerous levels. Matt Carroll is the director of the Cleveland Department of Public Health.
Matt Carroll: We hope that will increase some testing rates. But also, for families in that position, they'll be given guidance, and information about what will be possible lead hazards in their home and what they can do to eliminate those hazards.
Carroll says by the old lead threshold of 10 micrograms per decileter, about 2,000 children in Cuyahoga County had elevated levels. By the new standard, however, that number rises to 8,000.