BENCHBOOK ON LEAD PAINT POISONING FOR THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY MUNICIPAL DIVISION HOUSING COURT
INTRODUCTION
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lead poisoning is one ofthetopenvironmentalthreatstochildren’shealth.TheIllinoisDepartmentofPublicHealth reports that in 2005 approximately 8,100 Illinois children were identified as lead-poisoned, with almost 4,200 of these children living in Chicago.1 Since most children are not tested—even when required under state law2—it is likely that the actual number of Illinois children poisoned by lead is much higher. In addition, research suggests that children are being harmed by lead paint and showing adverse health effects at lower lead levels than earlier thought. These children are not yet counted in the reported numbers. The Illinois Department of Public Health estimates that over 81,000 children in Illinois are being harmed by lead paint.
