Starting this year, several communities in Central Illinois will begin mandatory lead testing for children.
On Wednesday, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced that several zip codes in Champaign, Coles, Douglas, Macon, Piatt, Sangamon, and Vermilion Counties are considered high-risk areas for lead exposure.
This means that kids living in these areas have to get checked for lead. Under state law, this has to happen before they turn three.
“There is no safe level of lead in the blood,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra in a statement. “DPH is acting to ensure that more children have access to the testing and interventions necessary to decrease the potential serious physical and developmental health concerns linked to lead exposure.”
Close to 1,200 ZIP codes in Illinois have now been labeled as high-risk. This accounts for over 85 percent of the state’s total ZIP codes.
Here are the Central Illinois zip codes that are now on the high-risk list:
Champaign County: 61801, 61802, 61820, 61843, 61859, 61871, 61875, 61877, 61878
Coles County: 62440
Douglas County: 61910, 61911, 61919, 61953
Macon County: 62554
Piatt County: 61854
Sangamon County: 62558, 62561, 62693
Vermilion County: 61817, 61834, 61858
Click here for the complete list of high-risk zip codes for lead testing.