Three McLean County ZIP codes are among the 180 added to the state’s list of areas considered at high risk for childhood lead exposure, including 61761 in Normal.
The Illinois Department of Public Health [IDPH] expanded the list at the start of July, bringing the total number of ZIP codes with the designation to more than 1,350.
By next year, all remaining Illinois ZIP codes will join the list as statewide universal childhood lead exposure testing goes into effect.
In a news release, IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vorha said the department is “building brighter futures” for families.
“This latest expansion of lead testing list brings us closer to achieving the ambitious goal of universal statewide testing,” said Vorha. “There is no safe level of lead in the blood. Early detection and intervention are critical tools to help protect Illinois’s kids from the serious health and developmental challenges caused from lead exposure.”
Along with Normal, the updated list includes Downs [61736] and Hudson [61748]. That raises McLean County’s total number of ZIP codes on the list to 23, following last year’s addition of Heyworth [61745], LeRoy [61752], Lexington [61753] and Towanda [61776].
Nearby communities outside of McLean County that joined the list July 1 include Congerville and Goodfield in Woodford County.
Under state law, children living in a high-risk ZIP code are tested automatically at 12 and 24 months. Kids 6 and younger are required to be assessed for lead exposure through a questionnaire administered by a health care provider; those falling into other risk categories spelled out in the questionnaire are then tested as well.
The IDPH identifies lead poisoning as the top environmental illness affecting children. It can result in damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth, and behavioral, developmental, and learning difficulties. Excessive levels of lead poisoning can be fatal.
