Seattle-King County, Washington

Blood lead testing rates in King County are very low, and little is known about non-paint sources of lead exposure.

The Lead and Toxics Program collaborated with the King County Medical Society and the Washington Poison Center to implement 26 blood lead testing events in King County during the summer of 2019. Events were focused on communities with higher poverty rates, people of color, and housing built before 1978  and were structured either as “Lead Screening, Health, Outreach, and Partnership (LeadSHOP)” or “Days of Testing” events.

• LeadSHOPs were primarily run by Public Health staff and included opportunities for x-ray fluorescence testing of products, blood lead testing, and education. Additionally, participants could sign up for free lead assessment home visits through the Lead Pilot Program.
• “Days of Testing” events were implemented by health clinics. These events were staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses and included opportunities for blood lead testing and education. “Days of Testing” had two primary goals: to increase opportunities for free blood lead testing and build medical clinics’ capacity to integrate routine blood lead testing into their clinic systems. Participating medical providers used the media attention generated by the events to amplify messaging on the importance of blood lead testing and developmental services for lead-exposed children through blog posts, local news coverage, and magazine articles.

There was a 5% increase in blood lead testing in King County in the first four months of 2019 compared with all of 2018. More than 330 children were tested (227 under age 6), over 100 families signed up for free in-home lead assessments, and over 150 products were tested for lead on-site or sent to a lab. At Days of Testing, 9 of the 227 children tested had elevated blood lead levels. At LeadSHOP events, 4 of the 102 children tested had elevated blood lead levels.