OLEAN — New billboards and door hangers are cropping up this fall, but don’t ignore them — they’re not political ads.

The Step Out For Lead Poisoning Prevention kicked off last week, hoping to draw attention to risks of lead poisoning in Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties.

The Cattaraugus County Health Department, part of the Lead (Pb) Smart Partnership, is canvassing neighborhoods with door hangers that provide information about lead poisoning detection and prevention as part of the Step Out For Lead Poisoning Prevention initiative during Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.

“Lead poisoning continues to be one of the most preventable environmental health threats facing our children today. Even minimal exposure can impact a child’s growth, learning, and behavior,” said Dr. Kevin Watkins, public health director of the Cattaraugus County Health Department. “The good news is that with increased awareness, consistent vigilance, and proactive action, lead poisoning can be completely prevented.”

Cattaraugus County faces particular concern, officials said, because a significant portion of its housing stock was built before 1978, the year lead-based paint was prohibited from residential use. In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau reports the median age of housing units is before 1940 in most communities across the region. The older a home is, the more likely lead-based paint was used — with about nine in 10 houses built before 1940 containing at least some lead-based paint.

Lead was added to paint to help with durability, moisture resistance, and to make it dry faster. However, it remains toxic long after the useful life of the paint has passed. Lead poisoning most commonly affects children and the effects are irreversible. Children may experience permanent damage to the brain that may impact their development and may cause learning and behavioral difficulties.

The partnership encourages residents to test their homes for lead; wash hands often and wet wipe surfaces; feed children healthy foods with iron, calcium and vitamin C; and test children age the ages of 1 and 2 years old.

The Lead (Pb) Smart Partnership is made up of the county health departments in Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties, as well as the Seneca Nation Health System. For more information, visit https://www.leadsmartwny.org/. Several non-profit partners in Cattaraugus County including Head Start and Connecting Communities in Action are also engaged in getting materials out to the community.