Unfortunately, too many children in Michigan are lead poisoned each year and their families don't even know about it. Statewide, only 1 in 4 kids get tested for lead even though a much higher percentage live in older homes with lead paint on the walls, in the soil around the home. or in the pipes under it.

Fortunately, Senate Bill 0031, introduced in January by Senator Cherry, would go a long way to fix this problem. The bill calls for testing children when they are most vulnerable to the effects of lead and also most highly exposed at one and two years of age. Babies and toddlers crawl and play on the ground and explore their world by putting their hands, toys, and other objects in their mouths. Young children are more likely to ingest lead than older children and adults. As well, they are more vulnerable to harm from lead because their brains and nervous systems are still developing.

This bill is currently awaiting a hearing in the Senate Health Policy Committee.

Please do your part to protect Michigan children from lead exposure! It only takes 30 seconds to send a message to your State Senator today urging them to support this important and common sense bill to protect our children’s health.