MAINE, Maine — Lead exposure is especially harmful to young children, and it can cause developmental issues.
Lead-based paint was outlawed in 1978, but Maine still has its share of homes built and painted before that.
In Portland, the city estimates half of all homes there were built before 1950, and it still works to educate families and homeowners. Val Johnstone helps run Portland's lead poisoning prevention program.
"A lot of the work that we're doing right now is to reestablish that education, that this is currently a problem that we see in Portland and Westbrook and throughout Maine," Johnstone said. "And, so, it's really important that they are testing both their homes and their families."
Portland Public Health encourages parents to follow requirements to screen all children for lead poisoning at one and two years old.