Kane gets $1 million from feds for lead-poisoning fight
The federal government is giving Kane County $1.04 million to fight lead poisoning.
The money will be used to abate paint-based lead hazards in housing, and to create the Healthy Homes Program.
The county and the cities of Elgin and Aurora will supply $260,000 for the program.
County officials say almost 1,500 children in Kane County have elevated blood lead levels.
Physicians are required to screen children 6 and younger for lead poisoning. Typically they ask where the children live and how old the housing is. Since lead hasn't been allowed in paint since 1978, a child who has only lived in places built after that usually won't need a blood test.
The Illinois 2009 lead surveillance report estimated that between 53 and 69.9 percent of Kane County children live in housing built before 1980. Elgin and Aurora were listed as high-risk areas. Kane County reported 1.4 percent of children tested as having unacceptably high levels of lead in their blood; that was above the state and national averages.
Lead deposits itself in bones, soft tissues and the brain. It can cause learning disabilities, mental retardation, lowered intelligence, stunted growth and hearing impairment, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. In large quantities, it causes death.
This grant will target lead poisoning caused by ingestion of lead dust, according to Scott Berger, the county's community development program director. Places where lead paint rubs against something — such as when windows or doors are opened and closed — turns lead paint into dust that children breathe or lick off their hands after they've touched items covered in the dust.
The federal grant will pay for inspecting housing, and helping owners abate problems, typically through replacing windows and doors, Berger said. The help is income-based; recipients need to be at or below 80 percent of the median area income. For the average family of 3, that is a maximum of $53,900 gross annual income, Berger said.
The county expects to abate lead in about 60 homes over three years.
The grant will pay for education for parents, landlords and homeowners, and training for local contractors.
The program will be run by the Kane County Office of Community Reinvestment, collaborating with the Kane County Health Department.
People interested in applying for aid should contact the health department at (630) 208-3801.