Lead Poisoning & Testing

Talk with your child’s health care provider about lead poisoning testing. Read more about testing recommendations(link is external).

If you don’t have health insurance call us at 608-243-0304 and ask to speak with the Lead Program Nurse.

• Our Laboratory tests for lead in paint, varnish, and water.
• Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene tests food suspected of lead contamination. Call 800-442-4618 or 608-224-6202.
• Wisconsin Occupational Health Lab tests for lead dust. Call 608-224-6210.

There is no safe blood level in children.  If your child has a blood lead level of 5 µg/dL or higher, we can help:

• Assess your home and other places your child visits for lead.
• Give you information about managing lead hazards in their home.
• Make sure their lead level is going down. We may assess your child’s development and make sure they get medical care.

Most kids get lead poisoning from paint dust in homes built before 1978. Learn more about other ways kids can be poisoned(link is external) in your home or community. 

Lead in aviation gas 

Almost all emissions of lead into the air have been eliminated in Dane County. One remaining source of lead air pollution is gas used in some small planes.

Do you live within 0.62 miles of an airport that hosts small propeller planes? Talk to your healthcare provider about lead testing. Learn more about the risk of lead poisoning.

Learn more about childhood lead testing in Dane County(opens in a new window). 

• If you buy or rent a home or apartment built before 1978, you must be told if there are lead hazards in the home.
• It is against the law for you to be evicted or harassed if you complain about lead.
• Call us at 608-242-6515 if you haven’t gotten information about lead hazards in your home or rental.
• Learn how to do lead safe painting projects(opens in a new window).

• We watch for lead in the community and provide recommendations to prevent lead poisoning.
• We enforce the City of Madison lead ordinance(link is external) to make sure property owners and contractors follow safe work practices when painting or remodeling older housing.

• Lead-Safe Wisconsin(link is external), WI Department of Health Services
• Lead(link is external), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention