Environmental Health Division
Highlights
Environmental Health Division
This information is currently newsworthy, seasonally pertinent, or is showcased to promote awareness. To receive an email alert when new information is added to this webpage, enter email address in "Get email updates" at the bottom of this page.
Lead fact sheets and brochures
Lead factsheets and brochures are educational materials about lead exposure and prevention. They are available in 19 different languages.
Joint agency statement on new federal limits on PFAS in drinking water
Following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Primary Drinking Water Regulation announcement of new Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) on certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water, the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued this statement:
Today’s announcement from EPA is a welcome step to set clear, enforceable standards for the levels of PFAS in drinking water systems around the state. Minnesota has been working for decades to protect people from negative health effects of PFAS exposure. In anticipation of the EPA release, state agencies have been preparing for lower contaminant levels, which puts us in a strong position to continue this work. While communities have up to five years to come into compliance, we will continue to partner with drinking water systems around the state to provide guidance on how they can ensure safe drinking water for their residents.
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Model Plan to test for lead in early care and education settings
Under Minnesota Statutes, 121A.335 Lead in School Drinking Water, and 145.9273 schools and child care centers are required to test for lead at all drinking water fixtures used for consumption. The Model Plan provides the requirements and guidance for testing for lead in drinking water to meet the requirements of the statute.
Wildfire Smoke
Wildfires are becoming larger and more frequent in the United States and Canada, in part due to the influence of climate change. Not only are we seeing hazier skies in Minnesota, we’re experiencing more unhealthy air from wildfire smoke. More information can be found at Wildfire Smoke.
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Minnesotans with private wells urged to test their drinking water for five common contaminants
In conjunction with National Groundwater Awareness Week, now in its 25th year, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is reminding Minnesotans who rely on a private household well for their drinking water to test regularly for contaminants. Testing is particularly important if babies or pregnant people will be drinking the water. Learn more at Minnesotans with private wells urged to test their drinking water for five common contaminants.
Healthy school environments
The school environment is of special importance to our children’s health and development. MDH is actively engaged in assisting schools with a variety of environmental health programs. These programs inform school officials and others about methods to manage and prevent hazards, relevant laws, and useful guidance documents. Learn more at Children's Environmental Health.
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Two in five Minnesota homes have high radon levels posing cancer risks.
More than 40% of Minnesota homes have dangerously high radon levels. That concerns health officials, because radon — an odorless, colorless radioactive gas — is the leading cause of lung cancer in people who have never smoked. Together with public health organizations across the country, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the American Cancer Society, A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation and the American Lung Association urge homeowners and renters alike to test their home for radon in January, during National Radon Action Month. Testing is easy and inexpensive. MDH expects to send out more than 6,000 kits to health departments and other partners, who will distribute them statewide at low or no cost. Test kits also can be purchased at hardware and home improvement stores or ordered at mn.radon.com. Licensed professionals can conduct testing, too. More information about radon in Minnesota is available on Radon in Homes website or by calling the MDH Indoor Air Unit at 651-201-4601 or 1-800-798-9050.
Download printable version of the brochure
radon: Keeping you safe from radon (PDF).
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Minnesota Office of Accessibility
State of Minnesota’s free e-Learning program on how to create accessible documents.
Minnesota Biomonitoring: Healthy Kids Minnesota
Protecting children from chemicals of concern
In 2019, Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) won a five-year federal grant to better understand children’s exposures to chemicals. With help from partners in local public health, school districts and tribal nations, Healthy Kids Minnesota will use biomonitoring to measure chemicals in kids across the state..
Children’s developing bodies are especially vulnerable to chemical exposures. The new program will give us a picture of children’s chemical exposures statewide. Results will help inform families, address community concerns, and promote policies that reduce childhood exposures and create healthy neighborhoods and homes for kids.
Healthy Kids Minnesota is conducted with guidance from the MDH Environmental Health Tracking and Biomonitoring Advisory Panel.
Expanding the program statewide
Healthy Kids Minnesota will expand the 2018 Healthy Rural and Urban Kids project to enroll 3-to-6-year-old children during their Early Childhood Screening appointments. Participation is voluntary, families are compensated for their time, and all personal information is kept private and protected by Minnesota law.
In the next five years, we will rotate our regions of focus to include one non-Metro and one Metro region per year, starting in Southeast Minnesota and Minneapolis and then moving to Northeast Minnesota and Saint Paul.
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