City officials and public-health workers marked a renovation milestone by reiterating a warning about a toxic danger that children sometimes face in their own homes: lead.

Thursday afternoon, Mayor Tom Henry joined representatives from Fort Wayne city government, the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health and the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation to note that the city's 100th older home had its lead hazards carefully removed through a communitywide lead-abatement program. The work is being performed with a $1.89 million grant from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Most homes built before 1978 contain some lead-based paint; it was used more extensively in houses built before 1950. The health concern is mainly for children under 7, whose brains are still developing and are particularly susceptible to long-term health damage if the exposure continues. Blood tests can show elevated levels of lead.

When a child has been identified as being “lead poisoned” through testing under this program, the child's home is targeted for remediation. The remediation may consist of removing deteriorated segments of lead-based paint in a safe manner and repainting with lead-free paint. More severe cases may require more extensive remediation, such as replacing doors, windows or trim, or covering a contaminated surface with drywall and caulking it to ensure no dust escapes.

The officials involved in the program met reporters at the Wildwood Park home of Rick and Dawn Mault. One of the Maults' children was found to have lead poisoning through a test ordered by their family doctor, and now their home has been cleared of its lead hazards. Dawn Mault said it was scary to learn that her preschooler was affected by lead, but she said she was grateful for all the help her family has received in clearing lead hazards. In the Maults' home, a few doors and windows were replaced and walls were painted in the dining room and basement to remove any lead paint hazards.

The federal grant originally had been designed to pay for removing lead hazards in 150 homes over a three-year period. That was based on an estimate of an $8,000 average required for lead remediation in each home. However, the actual cost turned out to be $8,000 to $12,000 per house. Henry said the city has been awarded a one-year extension of the grant.