Lead Prevention | Toledo Lucas County Health Department

Call (419) 213-2013 to schedule an appointment for lead screening.

Lead Poisoning

No safe blood lead level in children has been identified. A child with a blood lead level of 3.5 to less than 10 micrograms per deciliter is defined as having an elevated blood lead level. “Lead Poisoning” is defined as a confirmed level of lead in human blood of 10 micrograms per deciliter (10 µg/dl) or greater.

Lead exposure can affect nearly every system in the body. Because lead exposure often occurs with no obvious symptoms, it frequently goes unrecognized. Learn more about hiring a licensed lead inspector here.

If a child is identified to have an elevated blood lead level, the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department’s Lead Program is activated:

Click here to view this chart in Spanish

Do’s and Don’ts for Living Lead-Free

Before Purchasing or Selling a Home

Landlords

Thoroughly clean your property from the highest horizontal surface to the lowest, between rental periods.

Routinely check your property visually for paint deterioration; paying close attention to areas where friction (door and window jambs) and impact (floors, door stops) occur.

If a child associated with your property is identified as lead-poisoned, a lead-safe certificate will not release you from an obligation to comply with health department orders. Remember, the process to obtain a lead-safe certificate is meant to help prevent lead poisoning. A Lead Hazard Control Order means the lead poisoning has already occurred.

Educate yourselves on the dangers of lead, particularly, the dangers presented to young children.

Tenants

You have rights! Educate and empower yourself to make informed decisions.

Never make a verbal agreement to rent a property. Be sure to sign a lease, and read it thoroughly.

View the property yourself, inside and out, before making a decision. Look for chipping, cracked, or flaking paint, in more areas than the walls. Check the front porch, inside the windows, and around the doors.

If you find paint in poor condition, talk to your landlord and ask if any lead-based paint testing has been conducted. If they say there has, ask for proof.

Look for areas around the yard that have bare patches of dirt. Lead can sometimes be found in dirt. Ask your landlord to plant grass in these areas.

If you see ANY potential problems, ask that they be corrected before signing a lease.

If your child has elevated blood-lead levels, expect the health department’s lead program to reach out. We are here to help!

If you are considering purchasing an older home, you should first check to see if it has any known lead hazards. If a homeowner has not complied with a health department order to control lead hazards, the property must remain vacant until the order is lifted. This can only happen if:

the lead work is performed by a licensed lead abatement contractor and
the property passes a clearance inspection by a lead inspector or lead risk assessor.

To check the status of a property in Lucas County, follow this link and click “List of Hazardous Properties”.

State Law Mandates

State law mandates blood lead screening for all “high-risk” children 72 months (6 years) of age and below.

A “high-risk” child is defined as a child that:

Lives in, or visits, a house or facility built before 1978 with recent, ongoing, or planned renovation/remodeling. (This includes a daycare center, preschool, or home of a babysitter or relative.)
Lives in or visits a house that has peeling, chipping, dusting, or chalking paint.
Has a sibling or playmate who has or did have lead poisoning.
Frequently comes in contact with an adult who has a hobby or works with lead. Examples are construction, welding, pottery, painting, and casting ammunition.

Or any child residing in one of the following Toledo/Lucas County zip codes: