Home remodeling leads to discovery of lead poisoning

HARLAN ­— Cheryl Juhl and her family live in a house that is 142 years old. A remodeling project led to the discovery of elevated lead levels in several family members.
    Lead levels are routinely drawn at a 4-year-old well child visit, said Juhl.
    “Dr. Devine knew that we were in the process of remodeling a home built in 1880 and suggested that we have our 5 year old tested for lead level while we were there for his well child as well,” she said. “The high side of normal for lead is 3.5. Our 4 year old lead level was 5, our 5 year old’s lead level was 6.”
    Juhl said this prompted them to test her other two children, as well as herself because she was pregnant during the home remodel.
    “My lead level came back high at 5, our 7 year old’s lead level was within normal limits at 3 and our 1 year olds lead level was 9,” she said. “With my lead level being elevated there was a concern for our unborn son. When he was born in July his lead level was tested and came back within normal limits.”
    Until the well child visit, Juhl said it was unknown that they had high lead levels.
    “High lead levels can cause many long-term problems especially in children and this was a big concern of our as we have five children,” she said. “Damage can be done to the brain and nervous system, cause slow growth and development, learning and behavioral problems and also it can effect hearing and speech.
    Juhl said she did not know much about lead levels prior to their experience.
    “We did not take into consideration that remodeling our home would release lead into our home that we would all be breathing and touching,” she said.
    The Juhl family is not alone in their experiences.
    In 2019, the Iowa Department of Public Health released a lead risk model, which indicates lead poisoning is a significant risk to Shelby County children for the following reasons:
•    82% of housing in Shelby County was built before 1979 — which means the paint used to cover walls inside and out is likely to be lead-based paint.
•    8% of children in Shelby County live in poverty — which increases the chances that a child will live in homes that were coated with lead-based paint.
•    27% of children in Shelby County have received serial lead testing. Lead testing needs to be universally completed at 1, 2, and 3 year-old well-child visits.
    Angela Mitchell, LFL Parent Educator Nurse at Myrtue Public Health, said it is recommended that homes with lead-based paint be remediated to remove lead toxins from homes, which reduces the risk of lead poisoning.
    “Real estate professionals ask sellers to disclose the age of home and lead hazards in the home as part of a real estate transaction,” she said. “Landlords are also required by law to disclose lead hazards in homes.”
There are health impacts for young children who absorb lead more readily and behaviors inherent in childhood increase the likelihood of lead poisoning to occur in childhood, according to Mitchell.  
“However, adults can also be poisoned if they are exposed to high levels of lead. Some of the ways that adults can be at risk is through occupational lead exposure, such as working in a battery plant, painters, construction workers, welding, plumbing, and metal recycling, to name a few,” she said. “Do It Yourself (DIY) home remodeling without using proper safety precautions can also be a risk factor. Pregnant women exposed to lead can pass lead to the unborn baby through the placenta.”
There are grants available for those affected.
“Myrtue Medical Center’s Public Health Department received American Rescue Plan Funding to help families remediate childhood lead exposure risks in the home. Along with SWIPCO funding, families have the opportunity to fix lead hazards in the home,” Miller said. “Too often, lead is found in the home, but there isn’t funding to fix the problem. Fortunately, Shelby County families can currently receive assistance to remediate lead poisoning hazards, which limit further exposure to lead.”
Funding is available to Shelby County residents providing that they meet the following parameters:
•    A child under 6 years of age lives in the home and has tested >3.5 ug/dL for lead.
•    The home must be built before 1978 and have evidence of lead paint or have lead paint chips test positive for the presence of lead paint.
•    A Public Health Nurse must inspect the home to assess for the presence of lead and provide education on reducing health impacts of lead exposure.  
•    Funding is available on a first-come, first served basis and is intended to supplement the SWIPCO grant.
•    Funding is limited to $500 per family.
The Juhl family received this grant.
“We knew that it would be important to clean up after disrupting the lead with the construction. Cleaning the air system was #1 priority for us,” she said. “With the grant we had our air system cleaned by a professional company out of Council Bluffs. The crew said that it appeared that the air system had never been cleaned and the home was 142 years old. Also a new HEPA filter was purchased for our home air purifier.”
To see if your family qualifies, call SWIPCO by contacting Nicole Rhodes at 712.243.4196 extension 240. Contact Angela Mitchell through Public Health at 712.755.4422 to request assistance.