SPRINGFIELD, IL (Chambana Today) – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has announced a major step toward universal childhood lead testing, adding 180 new ZIP codes—across 47 counties—to its list of high-risk areas where children are required to be tested for lead exposure.
This expansion, which goes into effect on July 1, brings the total number of ZIP codes on the high-risk list to over 1,350. IDPH says this move is part of a broader effort to achieve statewide lead screening for all children by 2026.
“There is no safe level of lead in the blood,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “Early detection and intervention are critical tools to help protect Illinois’s kids from the serious health and developmental challenges caused by lead exposure.”
Lead poisoning can impair brain development, slow physical growth, and cause long-term learning and behavioral issues. Under current Illinois law, children living in high-risk ZIP codes must be tested at 12 and 24 months, and all children under six must be assessed using a standardized questionnaire. Those flagged as at-risk are then tested.
If a blood test reveals lead levels above 3.5 micrograms per deciliter, a public health response is triggered, including a home inspection and family education led by public health nurses.
The newly added ZIP codes span counties from Cook and DuPage to Champaign, Macon, Peoria, Sangamon, St. Clair, and Winnebago, among many others. The full list of affected ZIP codes is available at the IDPH website.