Michigan Childhood Blood Lead Testing — MDHHS Surveillance
Lead exposure testing tracks Michigan blood-lead surveillance data by county — testing rates, elevated levels, and free testing locations. Lead poisoning prevention resources. The reading is aggregated by Michigan Gateway from MDHHS Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP), an authoritative public source, and refreshed when the upstream source publishes new data.
For Michigan residents this indicator is one of several public-health signals that inform day-to-day decisions — from whether it's safe to be outdoors to whether a specific community needs additional attention. Combined with the other health indicators listed at the bottom of this page, it helps residents, journalists, and county officials build a fuller picture of current conditions in Michigan.
Michigan law requires every Medicaid-enrolled child to be tested for blood lead at ages 12 and 24 months, and any child with risk factors (older housing, recent immigration) at any age. The CDC blood-lead reference value is 3.5 µg/dL — children above that level get follow-up care. The Flint Water Crisis put Michigan's lead-testing infrastructure under a national microscope; testing rates have risen since 2016 but remain below state targets.
- Free blood-lead test for any child under 6: call your county health department or Medicaid.
- If you live in a home built before 1978, assume lead paint may be present — wet-wipe windowsills weekly, use HEPA vacuum.
- Have your home tested: certified lead inspectors at https://www.michigan.gov/mileadsafe
- In Flint: free home water filters, certified bottled water, and lead testing are all available via the Genesee County Health Dept.