By Dr. Brian McDonough

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – This week is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, and several organizations are asking that families with young children get their homes tested for lead.

If your house or apartment building was built or painted before 1978 , the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say you might want to get your home tested for dust from lead-based paints.

This is particularly important in a city like Philadelphia, where many of the homes are older, and have been painted with lead-based paint.

Lead paint is a hazard in 38 million homes nationwide.

According to the CDC, childhood lead poisoning is the most preventable environmental disease among young children.