DELAWARE COUNTY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — County officials are kicking off their Lead Free in 1-2-3 campaign to guide people away from dangerous lead conditions in their home.
“It’s an education campaign to really help our county recognize that lead poisoning’s still a problem here and there’s resources to help,” said Lora Werner, director of the Delaware County Health Department.
She says, every year, hundreds of kids throughout the county are diagnosed with lead poisoning. So this 17-week program that’s taking over billboards, bus shelters and social media is aimed at raising lead poisoning awareness and encouraging testing.
“I think there’s just a misunderstanding that this is an old problem and we took care of it already. And it’s just not true,” Werner said.
“Here in Delaware County, we’re a historical county—we have old housing that’s a majority of places where we all live, and more likely than not, you’ve got lead paint still in your home.”
Werner says it’s mainly children who contract lead poisoning, and those who do may have slower brain development, lower I.Q., reduced attention span, as well as hearing and speech problems.