Allen County is one of four counties in the state of Ohio that has been identified with elevated lead levels according to the Ohio Department of Health.
The number of older homes in the region could partially to blame. Public Health Consultant Lisa Salyers from the Ohio Department of Health speaking to members of the Family and Children First Council today(12/9/19). The Ohio Department of Health is encouraging parents to get their children tested for lead as its symptoms are asymptomatic.
Salyers says, “It interferes with the brain development and so we’re looking at delayed motor skills, delayed speech and issues with balance. It’s not necessarily, we don’t want to say a child is diagnosed with lead poisoning but it just definitely puts puts the child at risk, a higher risk for being ADHD or delayed and needing special education later in life.”
There is more than just paint from older homes that can affect children. Salyers says there is take-home lead, occupational lead, lead in soil, and lead involved with certain hobbies. It only takes a small amount of lead or lead dust to affect a child.
