KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Kalamazoo is boosting its efforts to tackle lead issues in older homes— the city teamed up with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to certify more lead professionals.
"Because Kalamazoo is an older home, older housing stock, most of the homes that are in the city of Kalamazoo probably do have lead, and very few of them are actually lead-safe homes," Lead Program Manager Rachael Luscomb told FOX 17 Wednesday.
She says it's been a top priority in the city for years.
Kalamazoo received a $2 million grant in 2019 that helped 34 homes. Earlier this year, city commissioners approved a $3.9 million grant that is expected to help more than 120 homes.
"If we don't address the lead problems in homes, that can actually damage our brains. It hinders our cognitive learning abilities," Luscomb explained.
Lead can stay in our bodies for years, and, according to health officials, pregnant women and children under the age of six are more susceptible to lead absorption.
"Most people think it's just that you're eating the paint chips, but it's actually inhalation through the lead dust in the homes. The dust settles on our food, we eat the food," she said.
Luscomb says MDHHS has a statewide goal of training and educating as many lead professionals as possible— the city of Kalamazoo is just one of many cities the state health department is focusing on.
Michigan Works! Site Manager Anna Bronsink told FOX 17 that classes to become a certified lead professional will take one week and will happen at the Michigan Works! Southwest building.
Click here if you're interested in signing up for a training session or learning about additional educational opportunities. You can also email Ty Liggons at liggonst1@michigan.gov.
You can find more information about the city of Kalamazoo's Lead-Based Paint Hazard Remediation here.
