Lead poisoning. You can’t live with it, and given how negligent we’ve been as a society to the whole issue, you certainly can’t live without it! In a sea of news talking about kids across towns and cities suffering from lead poisoning and toxic threats causing irreparable damage to the environment, it really made our day to learn that many public officials are now using advanced measures and lead alternatives to protect kids from lead poisoning. And we just HAVE to share this with you!!
Time to Take Action?
After a Reuters report identified more than 1100 communities where kids are showing rates of lead poisoning that are at least the double of Flint, public officials have finally started taking action through advanced screening measures, property inspections and Lead replacements. From Washington to Florida, health officials and property inspectors have begun conducting these programs and started educating locals on the dangers of lead poisoning and how to save their kids from the issue. The University of Notre Dame even offers a graduate course that lets students learn more about the issue and combat the issue.
‘Lead poisoning can cause immense damage to a child’s cognitive development and no amount of exposure can be termed as ‘safe exposure’. If you discover the presence of lead poisoning in the neighborhood, it is essential to look at lead alternatives and get rid of the issue as soon and as effectively as possible.
Dreaming of a Lead-Free World
‘We are acting with a sense of urgency because kids here depend on it,” says Heidi Beidinger-Burnett, professor at the Eck Institute for Global Health. Officials are also exploring lead replacements and measures to help protect children. Indiana Senator recently introduced a bill that shall compel the health department to double the blood lead screening rates of children enrolled in Medicaid.
Not to be left behind, California proposed a resolution that requires property owners to obtain safety certificates and lead inspections before selling or renting houses built before 1978. "We need to address that issue, that's the bottom line," agrees councilman Noel Gallo.
Joining the Act
Downwinders, a clean air advocacy group in Dallas, is planning an event that strives to address issues such as shuttered lead smelters and other lingering health hazards. Says director Jim Schermbeck, "Having five to six times the national average of high blood lead readings… has been getting people's attention"
St. Joseph, Missouri, a place where as many as 120 kids had been poisoned with lead within a 15 block radius in the past 7 years also convened a meeting for department heads to discuss Lead replacement and strategies to get rid of the issue and save the city’s future.
When the dangers of lead first became clear, US regulatory agencies began the task of eliminating this metal from plumbing, paint and gasoline. However, the efforts made in the existing water supply infrastructure were limited, and this still manages to cause problems so many decades later. As we’re finally waking up to the dangers of lead, protecting ourselves against lead with lead replacements and lead alternatives becomes even more important.
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