ANDERSON, Ind. -- A warning if you live in an older home and have small children: There could be a danger hidden in your walls, and it could lead to lasting damage to your youngest family members.
Anderson pediatrician Dr. Tony McHerron says his office does four or five lead screenings a day.
"Of those, I maybe have one elevated one every couple of months," McHerron said.
According to figures from the State Department of Health, of the five largest counties with the highest number of lead poisoning, Madison County ranks fourth behind Shelby County. Rush leads all small counties.
Mike Mettler, of the Indiana State Department of Health, says Madison County has a high percentage of homes built before 1978 – which was the year lead paint was banned.
In Madison County, 75 percent of homes were built before 1978. Lead paint chips ingested by babies and toddlers can lead to irreversible brain damage and behavioral problems.
Of the nearly 7,400 children in the county under the age of 4, only 725 were screened for lead contamination in 2014, with 78 children testing positive for lead poisoning.
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