A few quarts of dirt could help keep your household healthy and free of lead exposure.
Yellowstone Public Radio’s Orlinda Worthington explains.
Clear plastic bags filled half-way with dirt from your yard could be key in determining the amount of lead in and around your home.
“We'll actually be testing soil that people bring in from their home gardens to see if there's lead using x-ray technology,” Melissa Henderson said.
Melissa Henderson is the Director of Health Promotion for Riverstone Health in Billings. That agency, along with the state health department will be checking for lead, for free this weekend. It’s through a grant-funded community service called soilSHOP. The primary purpose is to educate residents about lead exposure, especially those with children under six.
“The damages we're concerned about are impairments to development, to ability to focus, concentrate, and then there are also physical damages that can occur, lead can impact every organ in your body,” Henderson said.
There are no obvious symptoms of lead poisoning. But location can be a red flag.
“You can be exposed to lead in a variety of different ways. The more common ways are an older home through the paint chips. It's a naturally occurring substance in the soil. But humans have added more through heavy industry, and then if soil is located nearby roadways that happen to have leaded gasoline,” Henderson said.
Henderson notes that children on Medicaid are required to be tested between 12 and 24 months. Many private insurances also cover testing.
There is no treatment for lead poisoning. If the source of exposure is removed, blood levels do decrease over time, but any damage is usually permanent.
In Billings, I’m Orlinda Worthington.
The lead testing event in Billings is Saturday, April 27, from nine to noon at Gainans in the Heights. To be effective, testing needs to be done on decomposed dry soil free of debris or plant material. Individuals may bring up to five quart size, clear plastic bags from different areas of your yard.
