Highest Risk Of Lead Exposure In These NJ Towns: State Data

NEW JERSEY — Homes built before 1978 are likely to have some lead-based paint. For much of New Jersey, that means a good chance of exposure to the toxicant.

State officials released data Tuesday showing the rate of potential lead exposure in homes for each city and town. In nine New Jersey municipalities, at least 90 percent of the homes carry some risk of lead exposure.

Before the 1950s, lead-based paint became standard for achieving certain pigments, improving drying times and resisting moisture. Exposure in older homes occurs when the paint starts deteriorating, cracking or peeling away from the walls. The paint industry adopted its own standards to phase out lead paint in the 1950s, but it wasn't until 1978 that the U.S. banned lead-based paints for residential use.

Homes built after 1978 are less likely to have lead-based paint.

The paint's deterioration results in lead-contaminated dust or paint chips. This can especially endanger young children with a tendency to touch different surfaces and put objects in their mouths.

New Jersey's Potential Lead Exposure Mapping (PLEM) Tool shows which towns are more likely to have homes with lead paint. The map includes the rate of one- and two-bedroom housing units built before 1978 in each municipality.

"Lead paint is one of the largest sources of lead exposure to our children, and any blood lead level above zero is unacceptable," state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said in a statement. "These additional map layers will assist local health staff as they continue to work to eliminate lead exposure among NJ’s children."

Homes built before the federal ban don't necessarily have lead paint. However, homes constructed before 1978 carry a higher probability of potential exposure, so risk assessment is vital.

About 29 million housing units around the country contain lead-based paint hazards, including 2.6 million with young children, according to the CDC.

Lead exposure disproportionately impacts Black children, and advocates say environmental racism plays a factor by pushing Black communities into poorer areas with greater health hazards.

Willingboro Township, Burlington County, has New Jersey's highest rate of homes with probable lead exposure and a median household income of $83,323. Nearly 70 percent of the township's residents are Black, according to U.S. Census data. The second-place town, North Plainfield in Somerset County, has a median income of $76,355. Nearly 50 percent of its residents are Hispanic or Latino, while 22.3 percent are Black.

But whiter, more affluent towns also showed some of the highest rates of probable lead exposure. The top five rounds out with Glen Ridge (median income of $271,221), Cranford ($153,949) and ($151,878). The median household income in New Jersey is $89,703, census data shows.

In terms of lead-exposure probability, eight of the top 25 municipalities are in Bergen County, while six, including five in the top 10, are in Essex County.

These New Jersey cities and towns have the highest rates of homes at risk of lead exposure, according to state data. Patch lists each municipality, county and the percentage of homes built before 1978:

1. Willingboro Township, Burlington: 94.5 percent
2. North Plainfield Borough, Somerset, 93.9 percent
3. Glen Ridge Borough, Essex: 92.8 percent
4. Cranford Township, Union: 91.5 percent
5. Verona Township, Essex: 91.5 percent
6. Maplewood Township, Essex: 91.3 percent
7. Stratford Borough, Camden: 90.8 percent
8. Bloomfield Township, Essex: 90.6 percent
9. Bogota Borough, Bergen: 90.5 percent
10. West Caldwell Township, Essex: 89.6 percent
11. Dumont Borough, Bergen: 89.5 percent
12. Ridgewood Village, Bergen: 88.5 percent
13. Hillside Township, Union: 88.2 percent
14. Montclair Township, Essex: 88.2 percent
15. Maywood Borough, Bergen, 88 percent
16. Oradell Borough, Bergen, 88 percent
17. Woodlynne Borough, Camden: 87.9 percent
18. Bergenfield Borough, Bergen: 87.7 percent
19. Prospect Park Borough, Passaic: 87.3 percent
20. Plainfield City, Union: 87.2 percent
21. Audubon Borough, Camden: 86.3 percent
22. Hasbrouck Heights Borough, Bergen: 86.3 percent
23. Bound Brook Borough, Somerset: 86.1 percent
24. Roselle Park Borough, Union: 86 percent
25. Teaneck Township, Bergen: 85.9 percent

Many New Jersey towns carry a lower risk of living in a home with lead exposure, including 18 municipalities where less than 10 percent of homes were built before 1978.

These New Jersey municipalities have the lowest rates of homes with a significant probability of lead exposure, according to state data:

1. Vernon Township, Sussex: 0 percent
2. Walpack Township, Sussex: 0 percent
3. Winfield Township, Union: 0 percent
4. Harrison Town, Hudson: 0 percent
5. Pine Valley Borough, Camden: 0 percent
6. Tavistock Borough, Camden: 0 percent
7. Audobon Park Borough, Camden: 0 percent
8. Sayreville Borough, Middlesex: 0.01 percent
9. Andover Borough, Sussex: 0.3 percent
10. Shrewsbury Township, Monmouth: 0.8 percent
11. Woodland Township, Burlington: 1.1 percent
12. Fieldsboro Borough, Burlington: 2.2 percent
13. Middlesex Borough, Middlesex: 3.8 percent
14. Woolwich Township, Gloucester: 5.3 percent
15. Hamburg Borough, Sussex: 5.5 percent
16. Plainsboro Township, Middlesex: 5.9 percent
17. Mine Hill Township, Morris: 7 percent
18. Teterboro Borough, Bergen: 7.2 percent
19. Eagleswood Township, Ocean: 10.2 percent
20. Hamilton Township, Atlantic: 10.8 percent
21. Lacey Township, Ocean: 11.6 percent
22. Englishtown Borough, Monmouth: 12 percent
23. Upper Pittsgrove Township, Salem: 12.1 percent
24. Robbinsville Township, Mercer: 12.3 percent
25. Bass River Township, Burlington: 12.5 percent

State agencies developed the map through funding from the CDC. The tool will have multiple uses over time. Phase 1 will examine lead paint in housing, while future phases look at other indicators of childhood blood lead-poisoning risk.

Lead exposure can increase the risk of wide-ranging health issues, including damaging effects to the brain and nervous systems, kidneys and blood cells. Pregnant people and children younger than 6 carry a higher risk.

The map also features best practices for minimizing lead exposure. Getting the potential source tested by a professional is the best way to determined whether you've been exposed, according to state officials. State law also requires that children get tested for lead at 12 and 24 months old, and all children younger than 6 must be tested. Children without health insurance can get free testing at their local health department.

View the full map and data here.