ACHD's Approach to Lead

Since 2018, Allegheny County has required all children to have their blood tested for lead, once in the first year after birth and again at about age 2. The ACHD gets the results from these tests to better understand:

• What percent of children in the county have high levels of lead in their blood
• Patterns over time to see if exposure is going down
• What parts of the county have the most lead exposure
• How to create plans to help prevent exposure where it’s needed most

The percentages and trends are shared on the Lead Data page on the website. Personal information is always kept private.

Figuring out what parts of the county have the most lead exposure will helps make sure those areas get resources they need for prevention and intervention. This is an ongoing process.

The ACHD has also worked with the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA) to see the effect of lead service lines and blood lead levels in children. The PWSA has been working to remove lead pipes in the city of Pittsburgh. There are similar programs in places outside Pittsburgh (see your local water provider for more info). If you’re worried your house may have lead pipes, visit the lead prevention page.

The ACHD is working to improve its ability to track how many children are actually getting blood lead levels tested and the impact of the requirement.

See a map of the proportion of confirmed elevated blood lead levels by census tract in children under six years of age(PDF, 5MB) in Allegheny County Aggregated 2012-2016 (before required testing).

The goal is to make sure everyone can get information about the dangers of lead and what resources are available to prevent exposure. Here are a few ways this is being done:

• Information and phone numbers on the website
• Links to other helpful websites, like the CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention site
• Brochures at ACHD locations across the county, which can also be viewed or printed from our website (available in multiple languages)
  • Lead Prevention Brochure (English)
• Partnership with Lead Safe Allegheny
• Working with water companies to provide information about lead in water
• Reaching out to administrators and nurses at area schools
• Community outreach programs

If you are interested in coordinating with the ACHD to provide education or want lists of available resources, please call 412-350-4046.

The ACHD has been working with the PWSA to let homeowners know if they had lead line replacements or high levels of lead in their water.

The ACHD housing staff is trained to identify lead hazards and encourage lead-safe practices.

The ACHD provided lead paint risk assessments and testing meet federal standards set by the EPA.

Thanks to efforts from the ACHD and the Department of Human Services, Pennsylvania has lowered the requirements for children’s access to Early Education Intervention. Before, only children with blood lead levels of 10 µg/dL or higher qualified. Now, any child with elevated blood lead levels (defined as 3.5 µg/dL or higher) is eligible. For more information about Early Education Intervention, contact the Alliance for Infants & Toddlers by calling 412-885-6000.

The ACHD is always looking for more ways to prevent and address lead exposure in Allegheny County.

In May 2017, a task force was created by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, with the goal of addressing lead exposure hazards throughout the county.

The members of this task force were asked to create a set of recommendations to best protect public health. To do this, they looked at local data, reviewed scientific studies, and spoke to experts in the field as well as members of the public. Together, this helped them get a better idea of the risks experienced by the community.

In December 2017, they released a report with their recommendations. The report emphasizes a focus on prevention and stresses that various agencies and partners need to work together to reach the best possible outcomes.

Their recommendations follow four main priorities: control sources of lead, monitor and report on exposure, investigate hazards, and educate the public.

Control sources of lead:

• Reduce exposures to lead paint, water from lead pipes, and contaminated soil
• Strengthen and create further programs for testing and remediation, such as the Lead-Safe Homes Program, which offers free testing and repairs to qualified residents
• Advocate for better national standards of water safety
• Identify and eliminate other possible sources of lead exposure

Monitor and report on exposure:

• Continue to analyze and report data about lead exposure in Allegheny County
• Identify communities at high risk
• Use this information to support better prevention and intervention efforts

Investigate hazards:

• Maintain standards in line with CDC and EPA guidelines
• Prioritize testing of older homes and those with other risk factors
• Make sure families of children with elevated blood lead levels are given appropriate information on what to do next
• Stay up-to-date on any recalls or other information about new sources of possible lead exposure

Educate the public:

• Create a committee to advise agencies and healthcare workers, provide information and resources to the public, and advocate for continued efforts to reduce lead exposure (currently accomplished through a partnership with Lead Safe Allegheny)
• Provide public access to information through the ACHD website, brochures, and other sources
• Expand strategies to reduce exposure, remediate existing hazards, and support the community

In the years since the task force created these recommendations, they have remained the core of our ongoing efforts to address the health effects of lead exposure.

The Allegheny County Health Department has received three grants to support our lead initiative:

• Hillman Grant ($300,000)
  • Education campaign
  • Equipment to conduct home assessments
• Public Health Improvement Fund Grant ($65,000)
  • Full time epidemiologist
• Public Health Improvement Fund Grant ($11,550)
  • Training existing housing inspectors in lead inspection and risk assessment

In addition, the ACHD is working with Allegheny County Economic Development to implement health education and outreach activities through the remediation grant ($100,000).

• ACHD’s “Get Ahead of Lead” Resources Sheet
• ACHD's Lead Program Brochure (English)(PDF, 799KB)
  • Lead Program Brochure (Spanish)(PDF, 643KB)
  • Lead Program Brochure (French)(PDF, 640KB)
  • Lead Program Brochure (Arabic)(PDF, 1MB)
  • Lead Program Brochure (Nepali)(PDF, 546KB)
• FAQ About Universal Blood Lead Level Testing (English)
  • FAQ About Universal Blood Lead Level Testing (Spanish)

• Where to get a blood test if uninsured/underinsured (map and info)
• From the Environmental Protection Agency:
  • Lead In Your Home: A Parent’s Reference Guide (Note: This guide is from 1998. The information about reducing exposure is still accurate, but the table of blood lead levels is not. Current guidelines consider any level over 3.5 µg/dL to be elevated. Reach out to your child’s doctor or ACHD if you have any questions or concerns. Also note that we cannot guarantee the phone numbers at the end are still accurate. You can find up-to-date numbers for many of these organizations on our website.)
  • Renovate Right

• From Housing and Urban Development:
  • Lead Paint Safety: A Field Guide for Painting, Home Maintenance, and Renovation Work (Note: This guide is from 2001. The general information is still accurate, but standards for lead dust have changed. Current guidelines consider anything above 10 µg/ft² on the floor and 100 µg/ft² on window sills to be hazardous. It is important to remember that there is no truly safe level of lead.)

• Environmental Protection Agency: Lead Information
  • Spanish Site
• Housing and Urban Development: Lead-Safe Housing Rule
• Consumer Product Safety Commission: Recalls (not limited to just lead)
• PA Certified Lead Abatement Contractors