- LeadOutDetroit.com website is designed as a clearinghouse for information and resources to learn about lead hazards and preventing lead poisoning.
- Exposure to lead hazards in and around the home has a lifetime impact on children.
- Children under six years of age are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning.
- Lead poisoning is 100% preventable – Get the Facts – Take Action.
DETROIT, Oct. 23, 2023 – The Get the Lead Out Detroit Coalition has unveiled their new website, LeadOutDetroit.com, to share vital public resources to protect children, families, and individuals from lead poisoning. Established with the support of the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, Get the Lead Out Detroit Coalition is committed to protecting children and families in Detroit and Southeast Michigan from poisoning by lead hazards.
Members of the Get the Lead Out Detroit Coalition work together because of their shared concern for children. The Coalition leverages the work of members to address gaps in individual strategies and allow centralized sharing of resources between organizations that can be scaled. The Coalition is leading a campaign to mobilize communities, organizations, and people to act (learn more, get help, create change) to reduce the number of children poisoned by lead hazards. The website represents a new and valuable tool in the campaign to increase awareness among the general public.
The LeadOutDetroit.com website will provide detailed information and continually updated resources from a variety of Federal, State, local and community sources. Visitors will learn about the dangers of lead and how to protect family members – especially those who are pregnant and children ages 6 and under – two populations who are disproportionately affected by lead poisoning. The site has multiple resources available in English, Spanish and Arabic.
LeadOutDetroit.com will also provide information about how adults can conduct safe cleaning of lead dust and chipping paint in the home and how to make lead-safe repairs. Professional resources include an outline of the legal requirements for renters and landlords, as well as referrals for assistance for those at-risk in lead-contaminated homes. Visitors will also find information about loans and grants to make needed repairs.
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (October 22-28, 2023) is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This year’s theme echoes the mission of the Get the Lead Out Detroit Coalition, namely, to encourage community members to:
- Get the Facts
- Get Your Home Tested, and
- Get Your Child Tested.
Lead in paint was banned in 1978, but Detroit children are disproportionately affected by lead poisoning and are at substantial risk for lead poisoning. The combination of housing age/conditions, poverty, access to health care, and racial disparity are a lethal threat in a city where 48% of children live below the federal poverty level. When lead dust (caused by friction of painted surfaces like windows and doors) is breathed in or swallowed, a significant percentage of the lead becomes absorbed by the body’s tissues.
The Get the Lead Out Detroit Coalition encourages Detroit families with children under six years of age to have their children tested every year. Lead poisoning and lead contamination are often difficult to detect, especially in the early years while the brain is developing. Lead poisoning can result in damage to the brain and nervous system, learning and behavioral problems, slow growth and development, and hearing and speech problems.
Earlier this month Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed into law legislation that requires all Michigan children under 2 years of age be tested at no cost for lead poisoning as part of routine doctor visits. Previously, only children on Medicaid underwent routine lead testing. Test results will also be shared with health departments and documented on children’s vaccine records.
Lead poisoning can be detected by analyzing a single drop of blood. Should that initial test find evidence of lead poisoning, health professionals will draw blood for detailed analysis.
Though testing is key to early intervention – only 21% of eligible Detroit children were tested in 2021. More than 1,000 Detroit children tested in 2021 had elevated blood lead levels. To have a child tested, caregivers can contact their doctor or the Detroit Health Department at (313) 876-0133 to make an appointment. Lead testing is available every Thursday.
The Coalition encourages everyone to visit the new website for invaluable resources including how to learn about steps that can be taken to protect family members from lead-based paint hazards in the home, such as regularly cleaning with wet or damp sponges or cloths to control dust, washing children’s hands and toys often, and wiping and removing shoes before entering the home.
For those living in a home built before 1978, LeadOutDetroit.com connects you to resources to find a certified inspector or risk assessor who can be hired to check the home for lead-based paint or lead hazards. Renters can ask their landlord to have the home or apartment tested or provide renters the previous test results.
People doing renovation, repair, or painting jobs on a pre-1978 home, will find resources and information about how to hire a lead-safe certified contractor who is trained in lead-safe work practices (a group of techniques to prevent lead exposure resulting from renovation and repair activities) on LeadOutDetroit.com.
About Get the Lead Out Detroit Coalition
The Get the Lead Out Detroit Coalition was established with the support of the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation with a purpose of reducing the number of Detroit children poisoned by lead hazards in the home and in soil by identifying and executing strategies to support lead safe kids and lead safe homes for families.
The founding partners include: Building Community Value; CLEARCorps Detroit; Data Driven Detroit; Detroit Future City; Detroit Health Department; City of Detroit Housing and Revitalization Department; Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice; DTE Energy Efficiency Assistance Program; Enterprise Community Partners; the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation; Kids’ Health Connection; Lakeshore Legal Aid; Michigan Department of Health and Human Services – MI Lead Safe; Rocket Community Fund; and Wayne State University Center for Urban Studies – Detroit Lead Advocacy Parent Group/DLEAD.
For more information, members of the public are invited to email the coalition in care of CLEARCorps Detroit at: detroitleadcoalition@gmail.com. Members of the news media are invited to contact Melissa Bunker at (586) 219-0094.