Lead poisoning is a significant environmental health problem, yet it is entirely preventable. The Lead Poisoning Prevention Program was established to respond to concerns about lead and its effect on the health of Oregon's citizens.
Program Efforts
Childhood lead poisoning is a significant environmental health problem, yet it is entirely preventable. Lead poisoning prevents children from reaching their full potential. Children ages six years old and younger are particularly susceptible to the effects of lead poisoning. Ingestion of lead, through hand-to-mouth behavior, is the primary pathway of exposure. Lead test results became a reportable condition in Oregon in 1991. The mission of Oregon’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Program is to eliminate childhood lead poisoning by identifying and caring for lead poisoned children and preventing environmental exposures to lead.
In Oregon, over 850,000 homes may contain toxic lead paint. The Lead-Based Paint Program is working to prevent and reduce lead-based paint exposures and hazards. The Oregon Lead-Based Paint Program was established in 1998 and is funded by a cooperative agreement from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The program oversees certification and training of professionals working with lead-based paint and enforces lead-based paint regulations. Our program protects the public from the hazards of improperly conducted lead-based paint activities, and ensures that the public receives information to prevent lead poisoning in homes that may contain lead paint. The Lead-Based Paint Program staff can answer questions on lead paint rules and will provide information on how to prevent or minimize exposures to hazards during home renovation or abatement projects.
What We Do
The Lead Poisoning Prevention program is part of Environmental Public Health in the Center for Health Protection. Search the Public Health Program Directory to see all programs in the Oregon Public Health Division.