Nearly 150 new Illinois ZIP codes added to high-risk lead testing list

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Starting this month, 1-, 2- and 3-year-old children living in nearly 150 communities in Illinois will need their blood screened for lead, a test that wasn't previously required in those parts of the state.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced an expanded list of high-risk ZIP codes this year, including more than a dozen in Cook County, increasing mandatory testing for lead exposure of children who live within those areas. A total of nearly 1,200 ZIP codes in Illinois now are considered high-risk for lead exposure.

"There is no safe level of lead in the blood," said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. "To better serve our children and build brighter futures for all of our residents, IDPH is acting to ensure that more children have access to the testing and interventions necessary to decrease the potential serious physical and developmental health concerns linked to lead exposure."

Under state law, all children living in a high-risk ZIP code must be tested for lead exposure at 12, 24, and 36 months of age. All Illinois parents with kids under 6 are required to fill out a lead questionnaire at the pediatrician's office. If any risk factors are marked yes, the kids are given a blood test to check for lead exposure.

One of the questions asks if you live in a lead "high-risk ZIP code area."

Tens of thousands of moms and dads will now be checking that box, even though they never did before.

This year, the state added 148 more ZIP codes to the list of high-risk areas for lead exposure, including 19 in Cook County. That means a blood test for lead will be a new requirement for 1-, 2- and 3-year-olds in those ZIP codes.

In the northern suburbs, the new high-risk ZIP codes include Palatine, Mount Prospect, and Park Ridge.  To the south and west, the list includes places like Hickory Hills, Worth, and Western Springs.

Parents can expect a finger prick for their kids at 12, 24, and 36 months at pediatrician's offices in these areas.

Automatic lead screenings already happen in Chicago.

The Illinois Department of Public Health said lead is found everywhere in Illinois.

Lead pipes that get disturbed can mean lead in drinking water, though it's usually chipping lead paint that affects small children.

State experts said requiring a screening in more communities than ever before will definitely reveal more cases of lead poisoning in Illinois.

When a child's levels come back elevated, a publicly-provided inspector will respond to the boy or girl's home to figure out the lead source.

Eventually, a blood test for toddlers will be mandatory in every part of Illinois. Why that isn't the case now? Officials said it's a staffing and resource issue.

"If we just said, 'The heck with it, we're going to test every kid now,' I would be all for that, but the fact of the matter would be, there would be so many kids out there that might be added to our case list that we may not get to them in an appropriately timed manner," said Illinois Department of Public Health lead program manager Kent McAfee.

The Illinois Department of Public Health said it is working to beef up its lead response team.

Right now, elevated lead levels are found in about 2 percent of kids tested for it in Illinois.

The newly-added ZIP codes on the high-risk list come from the following Illinois counties:

Adams

Alexander

Bond

Boone

Calhoun

Carroll

Champaign

Clinton

Coles

Cook

Crawford

Cumberland

Dekalb

Douglas

DuPage

Edwards

Effingham

Franklin

Gallatin

Hardin

Henry

Jackson

Jefferson

Jo Daviess

Johnson

Kane

La Salle

Lake

Lee

Macon

Macoupin

Madison

Marion

Marshall

Massac

McLean

Monroe

Montgomery

Morgan

Ogle

Peoria

Piatt

Pope

Pulaski

Putnam

Randolph

Richland

Rock Island

St. Clair

Saline

Sangamon

Shelby

Tazewell

Union

Vermilion

Washington

White

Whiteside

Will

Winnebago