Lead is a metal that is harmful to children when it gets into their bodies. Lead poisoning occurs when lead builds up in the body, often over months and years. Even a small amount of lead can cause serious health problems. Homes built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint.
Children younger than 6 years are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning. Lead can affect a child’s growth, behavior, and ability to learn. It is also harmful to pregnant women and their developing babies.
Lead poisoning is preventable. We work to educate parents and guardians on how they can protect their families from lead hazards. With this goal in mind, the department administers two programs that address lead poisoning in Dutchess County: a Lead Poisoning Prevention Program and a Childhood Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program.
How can my child become lead poisoned?
When lead-based paint in your home is peeling, chipping, or flaking, it can create lead dust or paint chips. Dust and chips may fall on the floor or on other surfaces that your child may touch. Children often put their hands, toys, and other objects in their mouth. Some may even eat paint chips. These actions may cause your child to become lead poisoned.
Lead may also be found in drinking water and soil, as well as some medicines, spices, cosmetics, glazed pottery, and food from other countries. If your child is exposed to these sources, he or she could become lead poisoned.
The New York State Department of Health has more information about common sources of lead.
How do I know if my child has an elevated blood lead level?
A child who is exposed to lead may not look or act sick. The only way to know for sure is to have a blood test done. Every child in New York must be tested at 1 and 2 years of age. Talk to your doctor about having your child tested.
If your child’s test shows evidence of lead, you can learn how to protect your child from further exposure by visiting the New York State Department of Health’s website.
Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should ask their healthcare provider about having a blood test. The New York State Department of Health has more information about lead exposure and pregnancy.
What can I do to protect my child/family from lead?
To limit your child’s exposure to lead, you should make sure that painted surfaces in your home are not damaged or peeling.
You should also wash your child’s hands after play, before meals, and before bed to rinse off any dust or dirt.
The New York State Department of Health offers additional ways to limit your child’s exposure to lead-based paint, dust, and soil. The United States Environmental Protection Agency also provides information on how to protect your family from lead in your home.
How can the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program help me?
The Lead Poisoning Prevention Program responds to reports of elevated blood lead levels in children and pregnant women living in Dutchess County.
This includes case management, education, follow-up, and an environmental lead investigation. The environmental lead investigation is performed in any dwelling where a child with a confirmed blood lead level of 5 micrograms per deciliter or greater spends eight (8) or more hours per week.
What is the Childhood Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program?
This program works to identify lead-based paint hazards before a child has an elevated blood lead level. This program helps to reduce the number of children and pregnant women who become lead poisoned.
This program focuses on a specific area where there has been a high incidence of children with elevated blood lead levels.
Our current focus area is the City of Poughkeepsie because it has the highest annual incidence of elevated blood lead levels and more than 70% of the housing located here was built before 1978. Lead-based paint was commonly used in homes built before 1978.
We perform environmental lead investigations in homes located in the focus area. We accept requests from homeowners and tenants. If lead-based paint hazards are identified in the home, residents and homeowners may receive a free cleaning kit.
I live in the City of Poughkeepsie and have a child under the age of 6. How can I request a lead investigation in my home?
You should contact our Childhood Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program at (845) 486-3404 to learn about the lead investigation process. If we determine that your home was built before 1978, we will schedule an appointment to assess your home for lead-based paint hazards. If we identify hazards during our assessment, we will work with the property owner to make sure your home is made lead safe.
What should I expect when you perform a lead investigation in my home?
During a lead investigation, our Lead Risk Assessors will use an X-ray Fluorescence Analyzer (XRF) to determine whether surfaces in your home contain lead-based paint. They will test painted surfaces that are peeling, flaking, or chipping. If any of these surfaces are positive for lead, they are considered lead-based paint hazards. Our Risk Assessors will also test painted windows, doors, and floors. If surfaces are positive for lead, regardless of their condition, they are considered lead-based paint hazards. They can create lead dust as they are opened and closed or walked on.
When our Risk Assessors find lead-based paint hazards during an environmental lead investigation, we work with the property owner to make sure the home is made lead safe.
How can I find out if my home was built before 1978?
You can find out when your home was built by looking your address up on Dutchess County ParcelAccess.
I don’t live in the City of Poughkeepsie. How can I have my home assessed for lead?
The U.S. EPA has a searchable database you can use to find firms certified to perform lead inspections and lead risk assessments in your area.
As a contractor or landlord, you play a key role in protecting the health of residential tenants and their children. This page provides you with important information about how you can reduce exposure to lead-based paint conditions at your property.
Many homes built before 1978 contain lead-based paint. Routine renovation, repair, and maintenance activities can disturb the paint in these older homes and create dust or paint chips that are harmful to residents. Poor maintenance and the presence of deteriorated painted surfaces in a pre-1978 dwelling can create hazardous lead dust and paint chips too.
Exposure to lead dust and paint chips can affect pregnant women, their developing babies, and children, especially those under the age of 6. Lead can be absorbed into the body when lead dust or paint chips are inhaled or swallowed.
I am a contractor and renovate houses built before 1978. Do I have to be certified to work on these homes?
Yes. The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule went into effect on April 22, 2010. It requires you to be trained and certified in the use of lead safe work practices before beginning renovation, repair, and painting activities on:
The RRP Rule also includes child-occupied facilities, such as day-care centers and schools.
How can I become certified in lead-safe work practices?
Our department, in partnership with CertRebel, offers EPA Lead Renovator Certification Classes. To register for this training in lead safe work practices, you should visit the CertRebel website and follow the link for Lead Renovator Initial Certification - Poughkeepsie, NY. Eligible individuals may qualify for reduced tuition.
After successfully completing this training class, you must also apply to the US EPA to become a lead certified firm.
Which contractors must comply with the federal Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule?
The rule applies to all firms and individuals who are paid or otherwise compensated to perform renovation, repair, and painting activities in pre-1978 dwellings and child-occupied facilities. These include:
To determine if you must be certified, review the EPA’s Frequently Asked Questions.
I am a landlord and own residential rental property that was built before 1978. How can I have it tested for lead-based paint?
If you own residential rental property in the City of Poughkeepsie, you may contact our Childhood Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program at (845) 486-3404 to have free lead-based paint testing performed by one of our Lead Risk Assessors.
During this testing, our Risk Assessor will use an X-ray Fluorescence Analyzer (XRF) to determine whether surfaces in your rental property contain lead-based paint. If hazards are identified, we will work with you until the dwelling is made lead safe. Free contractor supply kits may be available if lead-based paint hazards are identified during our investigation.
If the property you want tested is located outside the City of Poughkeepsie, you may use the U.S. EPA’s searchable database to find firms certified to perform lead inspections and lead risk assessments.
I own residential rental property in Dutchess County. What happens if a child residing in my building is identified with an elevated blood lead level?
New York State Public Health Law Section 1370 and NYCRR Part 67-2 mandate that our department respond when a child has a confirmed blood lead level of 5 micrograms per deciliter or greater. This includes performing an environmental lead investigation where the child resides and where the child spends more than 8 hours per week.
If lead-based paint hazards are identified during our lead investigation, our department will work with you until the dwelling is made lead safe.
I am a landlord and perform my own renovation and repairs at my residential rental property. Do I have to be certified to do this work?
If the dwelling was built before 1978, you must be trained and certified in lead safe work practices.
I am a landlord and own residential rental property built before 1978. Do I have to make my tenants aware that there may be lead-based paint in the dwelling?
Yes. Federal law requires landlords to give tenants who may move into your building the following information:
I am a landlord. What other actions can I take to protect the families that live in my rental property from lead-based paint hazards?
It is important to routinely monitor surfaces in your rental property and to repair any damaged or deteriorated surfaces. Always comply with lead-safe work practice requirements when working on surfaces that may contain lead-based paint.
Additional Resources:
As a homeowner, you play an important role in protecting the health of those who live with you. This page provides you with key information about how you can reduce their exposure to hazardous lead-based paint conditions in your home.
Many houses built before 1978 contain lead-based paint. Home improvement projects in these older homes can create dust or paint chips that are harmful to members of your household and even to your neighbors.
Exposure to lead dust and paint chips can affect pregnant women, their developing babies, and children, especially those under the age of 6. Lead can be absorbed into the body when lead dust or paint chips are inhaled or swallowed.
I own and live in a home that was built before 1978. I prefer to do my own renovations and repairs. Do I have to be EPA certified in lead safe work practices?
If you do not have tenants who rent a portion of your home, then you do not have to have an EPA Lead Renovator certification to do this work. Our department strongly encourages you, however, to use lead safe work practices. This will limit the creation of lead dust which can pose a hazard to your family. Limiting the amount of dust created, especially when performing work on the exterior of your house, can also protect those living in homes nearby.
The U.S. EPA provides guidance for do-it-yourselfers.
If you do have tenants or operate a childcare center in your home, then you must be EPA certified in lead-safe work practices to do your own renovations. For more important information for landlords, visit our Contractors and Landlord page.
How can I become certified in lead-safe work practices?
Our department, in partnership with CertRebel, offers EPA Lead Renovator Certification Classes. To register for this training in lead safe work practices, you should visit the CertRebel website and follow the link for Lead Renovator Initial Certification - Poughkeepsie, NY. Eligible individuals may qualify for reduced tuition.
I own a home built before 1978. How do I find out if the contractor I want to hire is EPA certified to do renovation, repair, and painting activities on my home?
The U.S. EPA has a searchable database that can provide you with this information.
My home was built before 1978. How can I have it tested for lead-based paint?
If your home is in the City of Poughkeepsie, you may contact our Childhood Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program at (845) 486-3404 to have free lead-based paint testing performed by one of our Lead Risk Assessors.
During this testing, our Risk Assessor will use an X-ray Fluorescence Analyzer (XRF) to determine whether surfaces at your property contain lead-based paint. If hazards are identified, we will work with you until the dwelling is made lead safe. Free renovation, repair, and painting supply kits may be available if lead-based paint hazards are identified during our assessment.
If your home is located outside the City of Poughkeepsie, you may use the U.S. EPA’s searchable database to find firms certified to perform lead inspections and lead risk assessments.
What happens if my child is identified with an elevated blood lead level?
New York State Public Health Law Section 1370 and NYCRR Part 67-2 mandate that our department respond when a child has a confirmed blood lead level of 5 micrograms per deciliter or greater. This includes performing an environmental lead investigation where the child lives and where the child spends more than 8 hours per week.
If lead-based paint hazards are identified in your home during our lead investigation, our department will work with you until the dwelling is made lead safe.
For more important information for parents, visit our Parents and Guardians page.
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