In Case of Emergency

If a child has severe symptoms of lead poisoning, such as vomiting or seizures, get immediate help by calling 911.  If a child is suspected of being exposed to lead, make an appointment with the child's health care provider or county health department to have a blood test done.

Who We Are

The Get the Lead Out! lead hazard control program began in January 2005 as a targeted effort to protect children from lead poisoning by fixing lead hazards in older homes in the city of Grand Rapids. It is part of the larger Get the Lead Out! Collaborative, which also focuses upon getting children tested and connected to health care services, educating the public, and advocating for commonsense laws and policies to protect children.

The lead partner for the Get the Lead Out ! Lead Hazard Control program is the City of Grand Rapids' Community Development Department. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional partners in the Get the Lead Out! program include:

 

To date, more than $ 19 million in funding has-been provided by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Healthy Housing and Lead Hazard Control. This funding will last through September 2019.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did You Know...

The Get the Lead Out! partnership has resulted in more than 1,350 lead-safe homes.

News & Events

Lead Poisoning Rate Rises for Second Year in a Row in Kent County

After a decade of decline, the number of lead-poisoned children in Kent County has risen for the second year in a row. Recent data released by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) shows a 40 percent increase in lead-poisoned children in the 49507 zip code during the past two years.

According to the data, 617 Kent County children had elevated blood-lead levels in 2016 – the most recent year for which data is available.

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Parents Meet to Discuss Rising Lead Poisoning Rates in 49507

Why lead poisoning is on the rise in Kent County, and particularly in Grand Rapids – and what can be done about it – was the subject of discussion and debate at the Oct. 30 event held at Dickinson Academy on Grand Rapids’ southeast side.

When Grand Rapids resident LyRee Adams’ young daughter tested positive for lead a decade ago, she later learned the poisoning likely occurred from lead-based paint flaking from windows in the home she was renting. She immediately got appropriate medical care for her daughter before the child was permanently harmed – and Adams also went directly to her landlord and worked with him to get the lead hazard out of the home.

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Kent County Lead Poisoning Task Force Work Continues

The 16-member Kent County Lead Poisoning task force continues to meet to investigate ways in which the County can work towards elimination of lead poisoning

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