Thermo Scientific Niton Analyzers news

Duluth faces a tall order when it comes to dealing with lead contamination.

About nine in every 10 housing units in the community was built before 1978, when a ban on lead paint took effect, Karen Olesen, a senior planner for the city, said.

And the odds of a Duluth home containing lead are even higher because about half of the city’s homes are at least 60 years old, according to 2000 U.S. Census data.

Duluth’s housing stock is markedly older than