Free lead screening for Pilsen residents

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Updated: September 18, 2011 12:15AM

Amid reports of high airborne lead levels in Pilsen, a series of free lead screenings will be offered this weekend to children and pregnant women in the Southwest Side neighborhood.

Blood samples will be taken and tested for lead poisoning by the Chicago Department of Public Health. Parents of children younger than six are especially encouraged to have their child tested.

Air samples collected at Perez Jr. Elementary School in Pilsen this year and last by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency found that lead concentrations exceeded the national standard on nearly one-fifth of the days studied — a higher rate than at other testing sites. It is not clear why, though the school is in close proximity to a smelter and a power plant.

Screenings are scheduled for: Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Alivio Medical Center, 966 W. 21st St.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Procopius Church, 1641 S. Allport; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Paul Church, 2127 W. 22 Pl.