Lead Poisoning - Down, But Not Out

• Lead poisoning can damage a young child's brain, causing learning and behavioral disabilities.  Many studies (summary, pdf, 135pgs) have shown that lead has a wide range of toxic effects.
• Children's average blood lead levels have dropped 80+% over the past 15 years, mainly due to eliminating lead from gasoline. However, lead poisoning rates remain at epidemic levels for poor and minority children living in deteriorated housing. 
• Most children hurt by lead are never identified. Only about a third of children are tested. Children on Medicaid are at high risk for lead poisoning, but despite the requirement that they all be tested, only a half to three-quarters are.
• There is strong evidence of lead's damage below currently accepted levels. This means that nearly 20,000 children in Cleveland and an additional 5,000 in the rest of the county may be hurt by lead.
• Children are usually poisoned by lead in peeling paint, dust and soil.  Children swallow the lead that gets on their hands and toys in normal hand-to-mouth behavior.  The amount of lead that will poison a child is microscopic. 
• There is a shared responsibility to protect children from lead hazards:
  • Health and Housing Departments - Promote and enforce lead-safe repairs and renovation. Promote and enforce lead hazard reduction.
  • Home Owner/Landlord - Disclose lead hazards. Safely remove/control lead hazards. Use lead-safe methods for maintenance and repair.
  • Parents/Caregivers -
  • Stop lead from getting in the house from outside (shoes-off and use door mats).
  • Stop lead from getting onto hands and toys (cover flaking paint and cleanup dust).
  • Stop lead from getting into child's stomach (wash toys and hands frequently).
  • Stop lead from getting into child's blood (provide good nutrition).
• "Test the home, not the child, and eliminate all non-essential uses of lead. The key is to require screening of high-risk, older housing units to identify lead hazards before a child is poisoned - before occupancy and after renovation or abatement." Dr. Bruce Lanphear, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
• Lead poisoning makes it tough for children and their families. When there are lots of lead-poisoned children, it makes it tough for the entire community. If you are worried about . . .
  • poor school performance - low proficiency scores and high drop-out rates
  • unprepared workforce - poor work skills and low productivity
  • crime and delinquency - drug use, drug dealing, violence
  . . . then worry about lead poisoning.

More Information on Lead Poisoning

• Lead Poisoning - Down But Not Out
• Cleveland Rates
• Cuyahoga County Rates
• Laws and Regulations
• Lawsuits and the Lead Industry
• Putting Lead Poisoning on the Community Agenda
• Preventing and Managing Lead Poisoning
• Too Few Children Tested for Lead Poisoning
• Lead's Damage Below Currently Accepted Levels
• Lead and Asthma
• Difficult Issues
• Lead Dust Wipe Kits
• Links
• Environmental Health Watch Activities

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