Brandy Smith lives with her three young children in Jackson, but says she doesn't think much about lead paint.
"I would never even have thought to worry about that. You assume it's already taken care of," Smith said.
But in many older homes, it's not. Jackson City Vice Mayor Derek Dobies says the city has tested its water extensively "but we still have elevated levels of lead in children, so we think that the cause of that is the lead paint in homes."
About 70 percent of homes in Jackson were built before lead paint was outlawed in 1978. "The same sorts of problems, the same kinds of cognitive problems, exist when that lead dust becomes airborne or when kids are eating paint chips," Dobies said.
The city of Jackson is applying for a $2.5 million federal grant. It hopes to use the money to do more extensive lead testing in buildings and use the results to educate the people on the risks before they buy or rent the homes. "The money could be used, one, for figuring out if there is lead, so those types of lead risk assessments, it also can be used for abatement, mitigation-type activities," Dobies said.
With money to make it possible, Jackson could require the lead risk assessment before you can rent or sell your house, which would help moms like Smith who don't know what to watch out for. "I do ask the doctor when they do the lead testing what scenario they would be exposed to lead. I do. I question. You hope it's not," Smith said.
Jackson City Council is working on the grant application now.
