If you want to buy a hammer, you go to a hardware store.
If you want to find out about lead poisoning, you go to a doctor.
But one day, hardware stores and other retailers here may be providing advice on health matters.
The city Health Department, which has been conducting an educational outreach program for medical professionals since 2003, is looking to expand the effort to “small businesses, restaurants, supermarkets and hardware stores.”
An official said it’s possible information on lead poisoning could be dispensed at hardware stores, an obvious point of contact for contractors and do-it-yourselfers who might not be aware of the dangers lead-paint chips pose to young children.