The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and New Jersey Department of Health have released the first phase of a statewide online mapping tool that uses publicly available data to indicate potential sources of lead exposure.
The new tool will help local health officers, community groups, and the public better identify older homes in New Jersey that may contain lead paint, which puts children at risk for elevated blood lead levels and possible health problems. The tool, developed with funding through the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Environmental Public Health Tracking Program, allows users to categorize individual residential buildings by construction year (pre-1950, 1951-1978 and post-1978), which aligns with the decreasing probability of lead paint exposure.
The tool will be a helpful resource to New Jersey municipal officials tasked with implementing a recently enacted New Jersey law that requires lead paint inspection on certain New Jersey residential rental property and establishes a lead-based paint hazard education program. Future additions to the tool will look at other common sources of lead exposure such as leaded gasoline or pesticide-contaminated soil.
