Map: Do I live in a high-risk area for lead poisoning?

High lead risk levels hit 180 new zip codes in 47 counties in the state, Illinois Public Health Department data shows.

There are now 1,350 high-risk ZIP codes and by next year, all ZIP codes in the state will be included, the department said in a news release Tuesday.

“IDPH is committed to building brighter futures for our children and families,” Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in the release.

“This latest expansion of lead testing list brings us closer to achieving the ambitious goal of universal statewide testing. There is no safe level of lead in the blood. Early detection and intervention are critical tools to help protect Illinois’s kids from the serious health and developmental challenges caused from lead exposure,” he said.

Lead poisoning is the top environmental illness in children, primarily caused by lead-based paint in older homes, according to the IDPH.

Children can ingest paint chips and contaminated dust from deteriorated or disturbed lead-based paint in homes built before 1978. Other exposures may come from imported goods or food that contains lead, according to the IDPH.

No level of lead in the body is considered safe, especially for young children.

The bodies and brains of babies and young children grow rapidly, and exposure to any amount of lead can cause growth issues, learning disabilities, hearing loss, and speech and memory deficits, according to the IDPH.

Under Illinois law, any child living in a high-risk ZIP code is to be tested automatically at 12 and 24 months, public health officials said.

“We remain deeply committed to addressing pediatric lead poisoning,” Kane County Health Department Executive Director Michael Isaacson said in the release.

Parents and health care providers are encouraged to prioritize lead screening for children under the age of six and to act quickly if exposure is identified.

“Lead exposure continues to pose serious risks to a child’s development and long-term health. It’s critical that we adhere to state lead testing requirements not only in the high-risk ZIP codes, but across Kane County,” Isaacson said. “Preventing lead poisoning and intervening early are important steps in safeguarding the health of our children.”

Preventive measures at home include frequent handwashing, removing shoes upon entering your home, providing nutritious meals, keeping floors clean, and avoiding planting a vegetable garden in soil around older homes, the release stated.