CCDPH Lead Poisoning Prevention Services

The Lead Poisoning Prevention Program is a collaborative effort between the following CCDPH departments: Environmental Health Services, Public Health Nursing, and Lead Poisoning Prevention and Healthy Homes. Below is an overview of all lead services and each department’s role in helping to prevent, reduce and/or eliminate the effects of childhood lead poisoning.

Environmental Health Services Unit

This department provides lead risk assessments in the homes of children identified as having an elevated blood-lead level. Lead risk assessors: identify both lead-based paint and non lead-based paint hazards in the home; issue orders to correct lead-based paint hazards; monitor and provide guidance to property owners and contractors as they work to correct lead-based paint hazards; conduct testing to confirm that a home has been made ‘lead safe’; and respond to complaints of improper removal of lead-based paint. For more information about CCDPH Environmental Health Services, click here.

Public Health Nursing

This department provides case management for young children with elevated blood-lead levels. Case management can include home visits from public health nurses, medical follow-up, nutritional evaluations, and developmental screenings. For more information about CCDPH Public Health Nursing, click here.

Prevention Services Unit: Lead Poisoning Prevention & Healthy Homes

This department works with the state to ensure accurate reporting of children with elevated blood-lead levels; provides education and outreach to parents, schools, healthcare, childcare providers, and community-based organizations; works to advance policies that support healthy homes; and administers the Lead Prevention Program grant, which provides funds to property owners to remediate identified lead hazards. Cook County has a Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Reduction Grant program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that runs through May 2025.

For more information about CCDPH lead poisoning prevention services, please call 312-515-0366 or visit the Lead Poisoning Prevention page.