Kids in Cordova are far safer from lead poisoning than kids in Midtown. And children in Arlington are much better off than their counterparts in North Memphis.
Lead paint can be hiding in any home built before 1978, the year it was banned, and the older a home is, the more likely it contains the toxic material.
Kids raised in Memphis’ suburbs face little risk of lead poisoning since few homes there were built after 1978. Suburban homes are also much less likely to have lead pipes, which can be particularly dangerous for formula-fed infants.
Given the county’s long history of white flight and segregation, its oldest neighborhoods are primarily — other than Midtown — occupied by Black and brown residents. In South Memphis, for instance, about 96% of residents are Black, and about 91% of homes were built prior to 1978, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Because of this, lead’s effects on Shelby County’s education, health and public safety are concentrated in its older, Blacker and urban neighborhoods.
The map below shows which Memphis ZIPs contain the most homes built before 1980, according to Census data.
Children in these neighborhoods primarily ingest lead from dust in their homes and yards. This dust is frequently created by the friction of doors against door frames and windows against window sills. If newer layers of paint in these spots have rubbed away, the dust from the lead paint beneath becomes dangerous.
If your neighborhood appears in red on the above map and children under 6 live in — or regularly visit — your home, experts would encourage having your child and home tested for lead.
To learn more about having a child tested or to schedule a free test, contact your child’s pediatrician, call the Shelby County Health Department at 901-222-9582 or email them at sch.clppp@shelbycountytn.gov.
To have your home tested, call the Shelby County Lead Hazard Control program at 901-222-7605 or the City of Memphis Lead-Safe program at 901-636-5323. Or, click here.
To find out if your individual home was built before 1978, check Realtor.com or the Shelby County Assessor of Property website.** Your home is most at risk of containing lead if it was built before 1950, since lead paint’s production and usage dwindled after World War II.
** Some brief tips on navigating this tricky website: If you know where within the city the apartment or rental home is located, click the plus symbol in the top left corner to zoom in. You can drag the map around with your mouse. Once you zoom in far enough, you’ll be able to click on the property. You can also use the “Search by Address” function on the left side of the webpage, but it usually won’t work for apartment complexes. For the street name, don’t enter things like “E,” “East,” “St.” or “Street.” For example, enter “Holmes” instead of “East Holmes Road.”
Jacob Steimer is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. Email him at Jacob.Steimer@mlk50.com
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