Michigan Department of Health and Human Services launches statewide lead awareness campaign

To help educate Michiganders about the sources of lead in and around their homes and how to protect their health, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) launched a new statewide awareness campaign at the end of June.

The goal of the campaign is to educate families about the possible sources of lead  – including paint, dust, water and soil ­– and how to mitigate, reduce or eliminate those exposures. The campaign includes advertising on the web, social media and Pandora. A new website - Michigan.gov/MILeadSafe - has been developed to provide a one-stop-shop on lead, lead hazards and mitigation steps. It also has links to important community resources and information for families.

“Lead can be found in dust, soil, paint in older homes, in lead containing pipes and faucets,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, MDHHS chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health. “We want no child in Michigan to be exposed to lead, and this educational campaign is an important part of that effort.”

The campaign kicks off following an announcement yesterday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and MDHHS about the state’s new Lead and Copper Rule and available resources.

Michigan adopted one of the nation?s toughest lead rules for drinking water in 2018 that requires removal of lead service lines and lowers the action level over which public water supplies must take steps to reduce the corrosiveness of the water they supply. Additionally, the rule imposes more stringent drinking water sampling requirements designed to provide municipalities with more accurate readings of potential lead exposure in communities.

For children and pregnant women, lead exposure is especially dangerous because it can impact a child’s developing brain. It can also contribute to miscarriages and preterm birth.

Lead can be found in soil, chipping and peeling paint, drinking water if supplied by lead pipes, certain home remedies and is used in some hobbies and occupations. There is no safe level of lead in the blood.

For more information, visit Michigan.gov/MILeadSafe.