GREELEY, Colo. – The Weld County health department will now provide financial assistance to families with children diagnosed with lead poisoning through its expanded lead exposure mitigation program.
One Greeley family knows firsthand how quickly lead exposure can upend daily life.
"We purchased our house in our early 20s, and we were just thrilled to get a house," said Cora Rattle of her family's home in Greeley. "It was built in 1895."
They moved in about ten years ago. Last summer, Rattle started noticing something didn't seem right with her 2-year-old daughter.
"I took her to her pediatrician, and he inquired about the age of our home," she said. "Her lead [levels] came back really high, and it was quite a shock."
Lead paint was banned for use in homes in 1978; experts say any house built before then may contain lead-based paint.
When children in Weld County receive an elevated lead level test, the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment is notified and offers free investigations at the family's home.
Following the test results, the health department inspected the Rattle's home last year.
"We received a report from the county. It was 30+ pages. It outlined every single lead level in every area that they tested. They gave us a recommendation that we replace our windows, that we paint or seal the floors, that we adjust our landscaping, all in hopes that the lead would be mitigated and that we could have a safer house," said Rattle.
The Weld County health officials told Denver7 that, in older houses with lead-based paint, dust can be generated when doors and windows are opened and closed, and that it can then be breathed in or picked up by kids. It can even settle into the soil outside a home.
The CDC sets the threshold for what is considered an elevated lead level in children. In 2021, that level was lowered to 3.5 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood.
Once that change was made, the county observed an increase in the number of children with elevated blood lead levels.
"We're finding that we have between 50 and 100 cases of lead poisoning in children per year in Weld County," said Cassie Theisen, environmental health specialist with the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment.
In some cases, Theisen has found that families may be using cookware that tests positive for lead, and on occasion has used her own money to replace those items for families who couldn't afford to do it themselves.
"We also are finding lead in spices, traditional medicines, cookware," she said.
This issue has been challenging to secure consistent funding for, Theisen said.
"We had received a federal grant last year, but it got pulled out from under us right before the funds were issued. The projects to remediate homes are very costly," she said.
For the Rattle family, replacing the 13 windows that are in custom sizes for her home was quoted at tens of thousands of dollars.
"It would be a really huge deal beyond the remediation in our home. We now have accrued a significant amount of medical debt caring for our child with blood testing. We're on wait lists to meet with specialists," said Rattle.
A recent private donation from the Bond Family Foundation has enabled the Health Department to cover the cost of replacing certain contaminated items, such as dishes or spices. The funds can also be used for cleaning supplies and HEPA vacuums to reduce lead-contaminated dust inside the home.
"If you're saying, 'Here's what you should do to fix this problem and help your children,' and then seeing that they don't likely have the ability to do that, it's heartbreaking. So that really drove the need for funds for mitigation for families," said Theisen.
The new Children's Lead Exposure Action and Replacement program has $5,000 in funding to help families pay for mitigation that prevents further lead exposure.
"'Do you have the ability to do this?' That's what we ask the family, and if they say, 'No,' then we say, 'Okay, I will provide it for you. 'There's no income checks, there's no paperwork," said Theisen.
Right now, the health department said there is not a single lead abatement contractor in all of Weld County, leading to high costs and long wait lists for residents.
Theisen is hopeful that if county or state leaders consider abatement requirements for when lead is discovered, that could help solve the problem.
The health department also offers free blood testing for kids by appointment or at community events. These tests are recommended for all children under 2 years old.
"Neither of our children was screened prior to our daughter's diagnosis, so ensuring that it's something that families are educated about and there's more proactivity in the medical world to catch children before they're at a place where our daughter is," said Rattle.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment offers a quiz for parents who want to learn more about whether their child may be at risk of lead poisoning.
Click here to take that quiz.
