Kane County Health Department to host free webinar on lead poisoning prevention

The Kane County Health Department will host a free public webinar, “What Families Need to Know About Lead Poisoning,” at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, officials announced in a news release.

The webinar is designed to help families and caregivers understand the risks of exposure to lead – a toxic metal for which there is no safe level –and learn practical steps to protect young children and expectant parents.

“Lead poisoning is preventable,” Michael Isaacson said in the release. Isaacson is the executive director of the Kane County Health Department. “This webinar will provide families and professionals with clear, practical information they can use to reduce risk and protect children’s health.”

The webinar is intended for parents and caregivers of infants and young children, expectant parents, child care providers, early childhood educators, home visitors and anyone who works with or cares for young children in Kane County. Spanish interpretation will be available, according to the release.

The webinar is free, but advance registration is required online at us06web.zoom.us.

When children are identified with high blood lead levels, the health department provides ongoing case management and environmental services, officials said in an email.

The health department also refers them for medical treatment and tests for lead in and around the home to find the possible sources of exposure, according to an email.

The health department also coordinates care and services with other agencies for children and families in addition to offering community education.

Lead exposure can cause lasting problems with a child’s growth, learning and behavior. During pregnancy, lead exposure can pass to the baby and affect development before birth, according to the news release.

In 2025, there were 121 confirmed cases of lead poisoning in children in Kane County, based on a threshold of 3.5 mcg/dl, or micrograms per deciliter, or 1/30 of an ounce.

The measure represents a blood lead level the Centers for Disease Control uses to identify children with higher-than-average lead exposure. It means a child has more lead in their blood than those in the 97.5th percentile.

That threshold was lowered in 2025 from 5mcg/dl, so the number of identified cases increased, officials said in an email.

Measuring with the higher threshold, 62 children in Kane County had lead poisoning in 2024 and 64 had lead poisoning in 2023, officials said in an email.

Health care providers screen pregnant women for lead exposure. No providers notified the health department about infants who were exposed to lead while in the womb, according to an email.