Lead & Air Testing
More About Community Health
Air quality testing
Air Management Services does environmental testing on air and noise pollution from commercial and industrial sources in Philadelphia. You can help to protect and improve the city’s air quality by reporting dust, smoke, odor, vehicles idling, noise, and vibration. Complaints are investigated the same day they are received.
- Email dphams_service_requests@phila.gov.
- Call (215) 685-7580, weekdays from 8 AM to 4 PM.
- Weekends, evenings, and holidays, call (215) 686-4516 and ask to speak with an Air Management Services inspector.
To report complaints of noise from individuals or residential sources, call 911 or contact your local police district.
Lead testing
Soil testing
Soil test kits can be purchased from many commercial firms and garden centers. You can also submit a soil sample to Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Lab in your own sample container.
Water testing
Philadelphia Water will conduct free lead tests for customers. If you believe you have lead plumbing in your home and would like to have someone check your water, call the hotline at 215-685-6300 to schedule an appointment.
Blood testing for children
Parents and caregivers of young children (ages one to six) should have their children tested for lead. Children can be tested at their doctor’s office or a laboratory. Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and private insurance cover blood lead testing for children. Children can also be tested for free at a City health center.
Kensington lead study
In July 2014, several agencies conducted a health study to evaluate the association between lead in the environment and blood lead levels in children living near the John T. Lewis (Anzon) site in Kensington.
Environmental testing found that the majority of households tested had elevated levels of lead in their soil. However, the study found that elevated soil lead, by itself, was not a risk factor for elevated blood lead. Living close to a former lead emitting facility also did not increase the chance of a child having an elevated blood lead level.
If a household had two or more elevated environmental results (soil, dust or water), the children were more likely to have an elevated blood lead level.
Lead regulations
Under the Philadelphia Lead Paint Disclosure and Certification Law, if a building was built before 1978 and will be occupied by a child six years or younger, property owners must conduct environmental testing and provide tenants with certification that it is lead-free or lead safe. The landlord must have the tenant sign the certification.
It is illegal for a landlord to evict a tenant, raise the rent, or change any terms of a lease when:
- The rental property has been cited for a violation of the Philadelphia Code
- The tenant requests repairs
- The tenant reports the property to the Department of Licenses and Inspections
Home lead removal
The Lead and Healthy Homes Program (LHHP) works to improve the health and safety of housing in Philadelphia. You may be eligible for help removing lead in your home. This depends on your income, the size of your family, and the scale of the problem.
Cleaning & Greening
Find local resources for sustainable living, join your neighbors for community cleanups, and learn about NKCDC’s commitment to a healthy environment for Kensington, Port Richmond and Fishtown, Philadelphia.