One program in Harrisburg, called the Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Grant, is working to help older homes like those ones -- and they spent more than $5 million dollars on it.
“When a lot of lead paint was being used, they put a lead in the paint to make it last longer but 100 years later, that poison is coming out,” said Dave Olsen, program manager for the Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration grant. Exposure to lead could have lasting effects on brain development as well as the nervous system, putting young kids and pregnant women at greater risk, according to the World Health Organization.
"We do get a lot of referrals from Hamilton Health, Pinnacle Health and other sources," said Olsen, adding that it takes very little exposure to put people at risk. "And when parents find their children have a higher blood lead level, they come to us and they become very motivated."