(ABC 6 News) – If your home was built before 1978, CG Public Health encourages you to take part in their Lead Hazard Control Program.

As part of this program, Cerro Gordo County will continue to make more homes in the county lead paint free.

A glance at homes in Cerro Gordo County, you may not notice anything out the particularly dangerous, but looks can deceive.

Around 55% of homes in the county were built before 1960 and many of them have lead contamination in the paint.

CG Public Health says this lead dust from paint is making kids sick, and it’s a primary cause of young children’s lead exposure.

“We became aware of the program when our 3-year-old had elevated lead levels,” Jennifer Merideth said.

Merideth called the process easy and CG public health even found her family a place to stay while their home underwent maintenance.

Merideth and her family moved back into their home in under a month.

In addition to the removed toxins, Merideth noticed another positive thing about her home.

“We also noticed our home is more energy efficient with the new siding, the new windows, our bills are a lot less.”

She may not be the only one with a healthier home, county officials hope more will follow.

With the grant, the county’s goal aims to make sure no home is the reason for a hospital visit.

“There’s still some work out there to do and we’re hoping we can keep building on that foundation and making homes safe out there for everybody,” manager of the Environmental Health & Preparedness division for CG Public Health Jodi Willemsen said.

CG Public Health shoots to improve 65 homes with this grant.

To learn more about the Lead Hazard Control Program, click HERE.