In Oregon, over 850,000 homes may contain toxic lead paint. The Lead-Based Paint Program is working to prevent and reduce lead-based paint exposures and hazards. The Oregon Lead-Based Paint Program was established in 1998 and is funded by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The program oversees certification and training of professionals working with lead-based paint and enforces lead-based paint regulations.   Our program protects the public from the hazards of improperly conducted lead-based paint activities, and ensures that the public receives information to prevent lead poisoning in homes that may contain lead paint.  The Lead-Based Paint Program will answer questions regarding federal and state rules and will provide information on how to prevent or minimize exposures to hazards during home renovation or abatement projects.

Childhood lead poisoning is a significant environmental health problem, yet it is entirely preventable. Lead poisoning prevents children from reaching their full potential. Children ages six years old and younger are particularly susceptible to the effects of lead poisoning. Ingestion of lead, through hand-to-mouth behavior, is the primary pathway of exposure. Elevated blood lead levels (equal to or higher than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood) in children (17 or younger) became a reportable condition in Oregon in 1991. In 1992 Oregon received funding from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish a Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (OCLPPP). Our mission is to eliminate childhood lead poisoning by identifying and caring for lead poisoned children, and preventing environmental exposures to lead.

Oregon has been part of the national Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance program (ABLES) program through the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) since 1991. Download the Five-Year Report 1996-2000 (pdf). Lead poisoning in adults (18 or older) has been a targeted condition in Oregon since 1991, when test results of elevated blood lead levels (equal to or higher than 25 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood) became a reportable condition for health care providers and laboratories. This report describes the Oregon ABLES findings for the five-year period from January 1996 - December 2000. Surveillance of all blood lead test results began during this time.