Lead exposure can affect everyone, but it is especially dangerous for children aged six and younger.
This is because children's developing brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead. Because they often put their hands and other objects in their mouths, small children are most commonly lead poisoned by swallowing household dust and soil contaminated with lead from old lead-based paint. The Multnomah County Health Department strives to provide vital, community-based services to those at risk for lead poisoning. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that nearly one million American children under the age of six have dangerously elevated levels of lead in their blood. A recent MCHD study suggests that thousands of children living in our county are at risk of lead poisoning due to dangerous levels of lead in their homes.