NORWICH – In an ongoing effort to reduce the number of instances of elevated lead exposure among area residents, the Chenango County Public Health Department is working with the City of Norwich Codes Enforcement Office to identify homes and apartments that may pose a health threat due to the interior use of lead paint.

City of Norwich Codes Enforcement Officer Jason Lawrence and Mayor Joseph Maiurano met with Chenango County Public Health officials last month to discuss initiatives on lead paint mitigation. While currently no programs or funding are in place to correct residences with lead paint, the search for such funding is underway and state grant funds – which would be funneled through the Chenango County Health Department – may be made available for homeowners and landlords further down the road.

According to the New York State Health Department, homes most likely to contain lead paint were built pre-1978, prior to a statewide ban of lead paint in homes. The most common cause of lead poisoning occurs when lead-based paints crack and chip, resulting in dust contaminated with traces of lead. Children are especially susceptible to lead poisoning. Exposure could lead to problems with attentiveness, motor coordination or behavioral problems.

The Health Department also found that nationally, 20 percent of all housing built between 1959 and 1974 has some lead paint; 70 percent of housing built from 1940 to 1959 has lead paint; and 99 percent of housing built before 1940 has some lead paint.