More than 250 residents came out to the Palmerton Area Junior High School Saturday for free lead screenings conducted The Pennsylvania Department of Health.

“Our role as the chief health advocate of the state is to proactively respond when a community like Palmerton has these concerns,” Dave Pidgeon, Pennsylvania Department of Health spokesperson, said. “Our job is to provide this free service to the community.”

Last July, the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry released a report.

An air quality monitor had detected elevated levels of lead in the air enclosing American Zinc Recycling in Palmerton, creating a public health hazard within 3 miles of the facility.

Since the issuing of that report, a town hall has been held and residents have continually vocalized their concerns

“Any one of us wants to have a clear picture of what our health is, and in this case, in this area, lead is a concern the community has raised,” Pidgeon said. “Potential lead exposure is a serious issue.”

Lead is a naturally occurring element. There are numerous possible sources for exposure; the metal can exist in air, soil and water.

For Victoria Shupp, 74, the potential toxicity of lead isn’t news, but the need to get tested is.

“I would never think of doing it (getting tested) otherwise,” said Shupp, a New Jersey transplant who moved to Palmerton in 1996.

“I’ve had a lot of blood tests, but I always get the usual — you know, blood pressure, cholesterol, sugar — nothing like this.”

Shupp said that while she “prays” the tests come back negative, she was glad the department of health provided the screening.

“I want to know if I’m affected,” Shupp said. “I’ve gotten high blood pressure since living in Palmerton, and I have a lot of stomach problems. So I want to make sure it’s not caused by anything in the soils.”

But Shupp’s concern goes beyond whether or not she has been exposed to dangerous levels of lead. She wants to know what steps she has to take if the test comes back positive.

“It scares me,” she said. “I want to know everything. Is it going to be curable? Is it going to shorten my life? Is there going to be other problems caused by it?”

There is no “safe” blood-lead level, but the metal is particularly harmful to young children and pregnant women. It can affect children’s IQ scores, and in adults, lead exposure can contribute to high blood pressure and kidney damage.

“Our kids have been outside a lot, playing in the dirt,” Ron Peters, who’s lived in Palmerton for 15 years, said. “We’re just concerned.”

Results from last weekend’s screening, which will reveal if Palmerton residents have been exposed to high levels of lead, will be available in one to two weeks.

“If somebody does have an elevated rate, we encourage them to reach out to their primary healthcare provider,” Pidgeon said. “That’s the next step that we would encourage people to take.”