Lead exposure can harm brain growth in young children, so it’s important for toddlers and preschoolers to be tested for lead if they have any of the risk factors.
Lead Testing Days
This month, we’re partnering with Best Starts for Kids, Virginia Mason, and the King County Medical Society to offer Lead Testing Days at pop-up locations throughout King County! Get your child tested for free at any of these events:
- Federal Ways Kids Day, August 7 at 11 am – 3 pm
- Seattle Children’s Odessa Brown Clinic, Seattle, August 9 at 10 am – 2pm
- Covington KidsFest, August 10 at 10 am – 2 pm
- AuburnFest, August 10 at 11 am – 7 pm
- Flavor of Federal Way, August 10 at 11 am -3 pm
- Seattle Children’s Bellevue Clinic and Surgery, August 13 at 10 am – 3pm
- Virginia Mason University Village Medical Center, Seattle, August 16 at 10 am -3 pm
- Big Day of Play, Rainier Community Center, Seattle, August 17 at 11 am -5 pm
- Virginia Mason Federal Way Medical Center, August 22 at 10 am – 3 pm
- King County Fire District 20 Health & Safety Fair, Federal Way, August 24 at 10 am -2 pm
- Denise Louie Community Resource Fair, Mercy Magnuson Place – South, Seattle, August 24 at 10 am -2 pm
LeadSHOPS: testing for kids, and have household items tested, too
In addition to the Lead Testing Days, you can go to free LeadSHOPS where there will be:
- free lead testing for kids
- sign-ups for free home lead evaluations
- free lead testing of household items and soil
- resources to help you keep your family safe
You might be surprised to find out what items in your home have high levels of lead (see the comic strip below for possible lead-containing objects). I had dishes that belonged to my grandmother tested–and was shocked to find out that they were high in lead! I now only use them for decoration, never for eating.
LeadSHOP locations and times:
| Event | Date | Time | Location |
| Federal Way Kids Day | August 07, 2019 | 11AM-3PM | Steel Lake Park , Federal Way |
| Des Moines Back To School Fair | August 08, 2019 | 10AM-2PM | Steven J Underwood Park, Des Moines |
| SeaTac Back To School Fair | August 15, 2019 | 10AM-2PM | Valley View Park, SeaTac |
| Kent East Hill Farmers Market | September 21st, 2019 | 9AM-2PM | Morrill Meadows Park , Kent |
| South King County Family Health & Safety Fair | October 05, 2019 | 10AM-2PM | Auburn Family YMCA |
A shout out to our partners for helping to make this happen: Washington Poison Center, Hazardous Waste Management Program, Horn of Africa, the Somali Health Board, BEST, and Living Well Kent.
Bonus: a comic strip helps explain how lead affects children’s growing brains
We also worked with Seattle artist Amy Camber on a comic strip to help parents understand how testing for lead helps children and why it’s so beneficial to get them tested when they’re age six and younger.
For more information about lead and to see your neighborhood’s risk for lead, go to www.doh.wa.gov/lead
Artwork by Amy Camber, written by Meredith Li-Vollmer.
Originally posted on August 5, 2019.
Why isn’t there testing in Kenmore Washington, where Kenmore Air has been flying in and out of Lake Washington for 69 years. I would like to remain anonymous, because I am an activist in Kenmore who has fought City of Kenmore for testing of air, land and water because of the proven presence of toxins in North Lake Washington. To no avail.
The event n the 24th says Federal Way, where in Federal Way???
Hi,
We arrived with our toddler at the Denise Louie Community Resource Fair shorty before 1pm, and there is no lead testing booth. This page says it would be available until 2pm. Is this information accurate?