Paint chips off the exterior of a home on South Bend's near northwest side. Lead paint in older homes has caused children to test with high lead levels in their blood. Staff file photo by Becky Malewitz
SOUTH BEND — More children in St. Joseph County are being tested for lead so far this year when compared to 2016, but health officials need more data to figure out how to tackle the area's stubborn problem with lead poisoning.
Through February, 520 young children in the county were tested by medical providers for lead in their blood, according to data reported Wednesday at a county board of health meeting. During the same months last year, 114 children were tested.
"I think the increase is a result of basic awareness of physicians and the public," said Dale Deardorff, board of health president.
Awareness of the problem has increased for a good reason. Recently released state testing data exposed a long-standing pattern of many children under age 7 being tested with high levels of lead in their blood on South Bend’s near northwest side.
Board of health members are reviewing testing data each month as part of a lead action plan with steps for addressing the area's problem with flaking lead-based paint in old homes; children in those homes can be especially sensitive to the lead as it can damage their developing brains.
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