Because the majority of Toledo’s housing stock was built before 1978, we have inherited a large, toxic legacy of lead paint. Every year, hundreds of Toledo children test high for lead in their blood, a value of 3.5 µg/dL or greater. There is no safe level of lead in the bloodstream. 3.5 µg/dL represents the highest 2.5% of children ages 1-5 in the entire U.S. population. You can read more about the blood lead reference value on the CDC’s website.