Working Toward Lead-Free Kids in Ohio

“There is no safe level of lead in the blood and no effective treatments exist to restore the permanent developmental deficits of lead poisoning…Thousands of Ohio children under 6 have been poisoned by lead and continue to be exposed to lead hazards.” Ohio Children's Budget 2020-2021:  Issue Brief, February (2019)

In this section, you'll find Schubert Center policy efforts at the state and local levels, information on research being conducted by faculty at Case Western Reserve University, updates on current state and local efforts, and resources for making Ohio a lead-free home for children. More information on statewide prevention efforts is detailed in the Ohio Lead Free Kids Coalition’s Lead Action Plan.

This comprehensive state action plan details how to prevent children from ever being poisoned by lead in the first place, to create a lead-free Ohio. The scale of the problem in Ohio calls for a vigorous effort by tackling all known sources of lead, including lead in paint, dust, soil and water and systematically addressing each source. The 9-point action plan is intended to be both ambitious and pragmatic with a goal of eliminating primary sources of childhood lead exposure in Ohio by 2030.

  1. Help Homeowners & Landlords Eliminate Lead Hazards
  2. Make Rental Housing Lead-Safe
  3. Protect Children from Lead During Renovation & Demolition
  4. Disclose Lead Hazards & Engage Ohioans
  5. Empower Schools & Early Learning Programs to Keep Children Lead Safe
  6. Remove Lead from Drinking Water
  7. Build a Strong Lead Workforce
  8. Research New Ways to Protect Children from Lead
  9. Improve Supports for Children Exposed to Lead

Learn more about the EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Repainting Rules.