NEWS RELEASE
November 17, 2023
Expanding beyond National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week with the Chemung County Health Department
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (NLPPW) occurs annually from October 22nd to October 28th, 2023. Each year, this week is an opportunity for families, organizations, health care providers, and local government to come together and reduce childhood exposure to lead by increasing lead poisoning prevention awareness. Locally, action is being taken to expand lead awareness and prevention efforts beyond NLPPW.
Chemung County Health Department continues to use primary prevention strategies in conjunction with early detection to combat childhood lead exposure in the community. There is no known "safe" level of lead in the body, and there is a high concentration of children with elevated blood lead levels in Chemung County. Public Health Program Coordinator, Melissa McArthur states, “Lead poisoning is preventable. We need to identify and eliminate exposures before children become poisoned.”
The Childhood Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program (CLPPP+) provides free lead home inspections for families that live in the City of Elmira. You can contact the CLPPP+ program to schedule a free lead inspection.
Chemung County Health Department offers a free finger-stick lead testing clinic, by appointment. New York State Public Health Laws and Regulations require health care providers to test all children at age 1 and again at age 2, and perform a risk assessment for all children ages 6 months to 6 years at every well-child visit. The Health Department will be an additional location for families to seek lead testing at no cost.
Lead exposure is an urgent community problem that requires an immediate community response. For more information about CLPPP+ or the lead testing clinic, please call 607-873-1308.
Christopher J. Moss
Chemung County Executive