The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health joins forces with Quest for Health Equity to supply blood lead testing at no charge in the Exide area

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health), with Quest for Health Equity (Q4HE), is providing laboratory blood lead testing at no charge to residents who may have been exposed to higher levels of lead and arsenic in communities surrounding the closed Exide battery recycling facility in Vernon, California.

Interested households may call the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Hotline at 1.800.LA.4.LEAD (1.800.524.5323) to set up an appointment to get their blood tested. Families can rest assured that results are confidential.  

Residents also may qualify for Public Health’s Lead-Free Homes LA program. This program provides lead-based paint hazard testing and remediation at no charge to residential housing of low-income families in Los Angeles County and those affected by Exide. The Exide area includes the communities of Bell, Maywood, Commerce, Huntington Park, parts of Boyle Heights, Vernon, and unincorporated East Los Angeles. For more information, families can visit www.leadfreehomesla.com.  

“Lead poisoning is preventable, and access to blood lead testing is a critical part of our remediation program,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “We are committed to helping people remove lead paint in their homes and yards, so they and their families are safe from environmental hazards that disproportionately have affected people living in under-resourced communities.”

Families can take action today by:

• Setting an appointment for a blood lead test
• Visiting the Lead-Free Homes LA website for testing and remediation of lead-based paint hazards in their homes
• Signing up for soil testing and cleanup for their properties at Exide Residential Cleanup | Department of Toxic Substances Control (ca.gov).

“We are proud to offer lab testing services to support this important public health initiative in Los Angeles County,” said Michael Floyd, Senior Director, Q4HE. “The diagnostic insights these lab services provide will help residents who are impacted by lead-based paint in their homes get timely, appropriate care. We look forward to working with Public Health to help create healthier living environments for communities and residents within the program’s footprint.”

Click here to learn more about the comprehensive services Public Health offers in Los Angeles County.