Lead in the News

Cleveland can learn from the work of activists and policy makers  around the Country

September 2023

• September 21, 2023 90.5 WESA, Pittsburgh advances new rental permit requirements while fighting to enact old ordinance in court. "Pittsburgh officials are gearing up for a fourth attempt at creating a citywide registry for rental properties. City Council preliminarily approved a new framework for a registry Wednesday, even as the city continues a legal fight on behalf of a previous approach that’s been held up in court. City officials say the registry will help protect renters from absentee landlords or out-of-town corporations. They argue that provisions of the bill, which require regular inspections of each unit and a point of contact to field complaints about the property, will mean renters are less likely to live in poor conditions. '[Renters] deserve basic protections to ensure when they rent a property that it is safe for them to live there,' said Mayor Ed Gainey spokesperson Maria Montaño. 'Safety is our number-one priority.' ” 

  • • Wait-there's bad news here: "The pending program lays out less stringent requirements when compared to the city's last effort to impose a registry. The 2021 ordinance required inspections for lead, and for out-of-town landlords or LLCs — private business entities often created to hold property — to designate a local agent to represent the owner. Contact information for that agent would be publicly  accessible. Those requirements are changed in the new version of the registry. Landlords still must apply for a permit and submit to routine inspections, but not for lead. A contact person must still be registered with the city, but that information won’t be made available to the public."

• September 13, 2023. Clinical Advisor. Secondhand Smoke Increases Lead Levels in Children. "Secondhand smoke may be an important but overlooked source of chronic lead exposure in kids and adolescents. That is the key finding of our recent study, published in the journal BMC Public Health. We analyzed national data on blood lead levels and secondhand smoke exposure in 2815 US children and teenagers ages 6 to 19 years old from 2015 to 2018. We looked at levels of lead and a nicotine metabolite – a substance known as cotinine produced in the body’s chemical process that forms when tobacco smoke is inhaled. Levels of cotinine indicate exposure to tobacco smoke." Here's the study 

• Sep. 14, 2023. MLive. Lead testing requirement for kids nears approval by Michigan officials. "Young children, starting next year, must be tested for lead poisoning once legislation passed this week by the Michigan House of Representatives gets final approval. Senate Bill 31 and House Bill 4200 passed the House on Tuesday with bipartisan votes of 67 to 42. They would require children residing in Michigan to have their blood tested for lead at one year and two years old, beginning Jan. 1, 2024. [   ] The bills also require the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to identify geographic areas where children are at high risk of lead poisoning so that kids in those areas can be additionally tested at four years old." Another insightful story here. 

  • • Indiana adopted universal testing last year. Pennsylvania is moving towards universal testing...And then there's Ohio with an ancient system that doesn't provide full coverage around the state. CLASH says "make child testing easy, make it local, make it universal." 

• Sep 21, 2023, Army Times. Army failing to ensure family housing ‘safe’ from lead paint, asbestos. "The Army’s internal auditors recently concluded that the service has failed to ensure that privatized on-base homes with lead-based paint or asbestos are 'safe for Army families,' according to an August 2023 report exclusively obtained by Army Times via the Freedom of Information Act. The report, based on an Army Audit Agency study, said that the Army’s revamped housing inspection program, established in 2020, has lacked 'effective oversight.' The study reviewed inspections of 201 homes built before 1978 — when lead-based paint and asbestos materials were banned from use in new homes — at three installations: Fort Cavazos, Texas; Fort Liberty, North Carolina; and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington."

• September 21, 2023. Indianapolis Recorder.The disproportionate harm lead poses to Near Eastside neighborhoods "Childhood blood lead levels have decreased in Indiana in recent years, but blood lead levels remain high in some Near Eastside neighborhoods, SAVI Talks found in a recent Data and Drafts report.  SAVI talks explored childhood lead exposure in Marion County, with particular focus on Martindale-Brightwood and the Near Eastside where lead levels are artificially increased and resultingly have a greater impact on children’s futures."

• September 15, 2023. HealthDay News. Parks, Playgrounds Built on Old Dump Sites Could Be Hotspots for Lead. "That beautiful park you walk through could be hiding dangerous levels of lead. So, too, could the soil under the play equipment where your children slide and swing. New research in the United States finds that urban parks built on sites where waste was incinerated could be hotspots for lead. 'We found that city parks and playgrounds built on the site of a former waste incinerator can still have greatly elevated levels of lead in their surface soils many decades after the incinerator was closed,' study co-author Daniel Richter, a professor of soils at Duke University School of the Environment, said in a university news release."

• Sep 15, 2023. Roanoke Times. Roanoke's lead paint abatement efforts 20 years strong. "Lead poisoning is a preventable problem that damages the brain development of young children — and it’s something the city’s Lead Safe Roanoke program has been working to address in the city’s privately owned housing stock for 20 years."

• September 16, 2023. LA Times via Yahoo. California lawmakers pass bill requiring schools to test for lead in drinking water. "California lawmakers have passed a bill that would require kindergarten-to-12th-grade schools in the Golden State to test for brain-damaging lead in all drinking water outlets. Assembly Bill 249 would require community water systems that serve schools built before 2010 to test all potable water outlets for lead, and to report results to the school, educational agency and state water regulators. Outlets exceeding lead levels of 5 parts per billion would have to be shut down immediately. Testing would be required before 2027, and would also apply to preschools and child day care facilities on public school property."

• Sep 19, 2023. lanarkleedstoday.ca Got Lead in your Pipes? Find out with free testing in Smiths Falls. "The Town of Smiths Falls wants people with homes built before 1955 to get their water tested to find out if they have lead pipes, which can lead to health concerns. It wasn’t until 1990 that concerns were raised about the pipes and they were banned for use. Lead pipes can leach lead into the drinking water, leading to serious health issues such as lead poisoning. They can also affect water quality as they deteriorate. Smiths Falls runs a free lead testing program. "

Around the world

Sep 14, 2023. Vox. Lead poisoning could be killing more people than HIV, malaria, and car accidents combined. "However bad you think lead poisoning is for the world, it’s worse." Thanks to JS for suggesting we cover this international study.

• September 7, 2023. Signal Cleveland. Cleveland landlord who failed to clean up lead hazards fined $10,000. "Cleveland Housing Court ordered Hadad Investments – whose inaction left the Wheeler family looking for safe housing – to comply or face additional fines of more than $100 a day."  [   ] 'The City of Cleveland has not filed criminal charges against Hadad Investments for failing to comply with health department orders to clean up the lead hazards. The city has also not used its nuisance laws to move the Wheeler family into temporary housing, fix the hazards, and add the cost to the landlord’s tax bill."  

  • • Key thing to remember: This is a  civil action brought by Ms. Wheeler arising from a poisoned child case where the city had issued a Lead Hazard Control order. This is not a criminal case brought by the City for failure to correct a known lead hazard.

• Sep 06, 2023. WEWS. Berea Road reopens after chemical spill, "Berea Road reopened Wednesday morning after a chemical spill at a Cleveland paint manufacturing building. The spill happened last Tuesday night at the Nippon Paint Facility. The Cleveland Fire Department said there is no danger to the public and although the spill of chemicals is not hazardous when mixed, the EPA was called in to help with the cleanup."  

  • • 🤔 Hum...industrial paint often contains lead. What do the CFD and OEPA reports say about the composition of the chemicals that were spilled. Also-what exactly does "not hazardous when mixed" mean?

  • Sep 05, 2023 WEWS. Cleveland Law Department issues 99 violations for poor conditions at railroad bridges, properties. "Misdemeanor violations sent to CSX and Norfolk Southern railroads for falling concrete, high weeds, graffiti issues"  

    • 🤔 Hum...industrial paint often contains lead. Should the Cleveland Department of Building and Housing be checking the flaking paint for lead?

• Sep. 05, 2023 cleveland.com, Cleveland Heights works on final cuts for remaining $16 million in ARPA funds. "Mayor Kahlil Seren has requested $1 million for lead safety programming, which Khan noted has done well through ARPA in other cities." thanks MollyG

• September 8, 2023. Signal. Board of Control approves contracts to replace old water service lines.  "The board approved up to $400,000 for Corlett Trenching and Plumbing LLC to help with a large city effort to replace lead and galvanized water services lines. The spending is part of a larger project City Council approved last year that includes federal money to replace aging or unsafe infrastructure, including lead pipes.

• September 8, 2023. Press Release. HUD Announces $157 Million to Address Housing-Related Hazards and Lead-Based Paint. "WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the Capital Fund Housing-Related Hazards (HRH) & Lead-Based Paint (LBP) Capital Fund Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) awards. The NOFO provides a total of $157 million dollars, which 20 awards under Lead-Based Paint and 54 awards under Housing-Related Hazards. The purpose of the HRH and LBP Capital Funding is to provide funding to public housing agencies (PHAs) to evaluate and reduce residential health hazards in public housing, including lead-based paint, carbon monoxide, mold, radon, fire safety, and asbestos. In addition, the funds will help get PHAs ready to comply with the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE). NSPIRE improves HUD’s oversight by aligning and consolidating inspection regulations used to evaluate HUD housing across multiple programs. NSPIRE strengthens HUD’s physical condition standards, and fire safety, carbon monoxide, mold and moisture and lead-based paint are all standards that we enhanced with NSPIRE." Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing is slated to receive $4,998,091.00. 

  • • CLASH says: "Lets see the plan and especially the timetable for addressing lead hazards in public housing." Public housing in Cleveland. CMHA is exempt from the City of Cleveland's Lead Safe Certificate program. This funding does not include privately subsidized housing or units rented under the housing choice voucher program. Both of these types of assisted housing are covered by Cleveland ordinance, but not surrounding communities. CLASH continues to fight for protections for all Federally assisted housing through the Lead Safe Housing for Kids Act.

• 09/07/23. The Hill. Watchdog knocks local EPA staff for response to lead contamination in Michigan city’s water "A new report issued by the office of the EPA’s inspector general noted that staff in the EPA’s Midwest region did not use the agency’s “elevation policy” to alert national officials about the presence of lead in the water in Benton Harbor, Mich. The policy in question was developed in 2016 after the Flint water crisis exposed residents to lead in their tap water, the report said."

• 04 Sep 2023. Daily Maverick. Lead poisoning responsible for 21% of educational differences between poor and rich countries – study "In 2019, only 14% of 10-year-olds in sub-Saharan Africa were able to read and understand a simple sentence. In high-income countries (including nations like the US and Japan) the figure was 92%. But what accounts for these huge educational disparities across different regions? A new working paper by the Centre for Global Development (CGD) finds that the answer goes a lot deeper than just schooling quality – down to the toxins children in different countries consume and breathe in. In particular, exposure to lead, a toxic heavy metal that can hinder brain development when consumed by children, is far more widespread in poor and middle-income countries than in wealthier nations, where anti-lead laws are strictly enforced and enormous amounts of money are spent on removing lead pipes and paint."

• Tuesday, September 5, 2023. For Immediate Release, U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York. Defendant Admits and Accepts Responsibility for Violations and Agrees to Injunctive Relief and a Penalty of $606,706  Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Lisa F. Garcia, the Regional Administrator for Region 2 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), announced today that the United States filed a civil lawsuit against APEX BUILDING COMPANY, INC. (“APEX”) alleging violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act (“TSCA”) and EPA’s Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule (“RRP Rule”).  The United States simultaneously entered into a Consent Decree resolving that lawsuit.  The Consent Decree includes a $606,706 civil penalty, the second largest civil penalty ever imposed under the RRP Rule, and requires APEX to take steps to mitigate potential harms caused by its conduct.

• Sep. 05, 2023. Syracuse.com. Syracuse’s children suffer from trail of lead paint ignored by landlords; ‘It’s like they don’t care’. "The public discussion of lead poisoning here is filled with civic leaders, doctors and prosecutors, but Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard went in search of those with the most at stake: Syracuse’s children. Here’s what we found: Kids are held back in school. Their speech is delayed. They suffer from anemia. They can’t comprehend what their parents and teachers are saying. Some are anxious and don’t trust new people and situations. Every parent interviewed said their child seemed angry. Parents fear this poisoning has set their children on a path to poor choices and teen violence, an alarming trend in Syracuse. Recent crackdowns may embarrass some landlords and separate them from their properties, but they do little to improve the lives of the people who live there, a Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard investigation found." More here

• Sep 5, 2023.  Fox 2 news. Bonne Terre mother nearly loses child to lead poisoning. "BONNE TERRE, Mo. – On Tuesday, a Bonne Terre mother was left worrying if her 3-year-old would live another day after a failed home inspection and a severe case of lead exposure nearly killed him, and left his 2-year-old sister in critical condition. Matters got worse when the hospital did not have the life-saving treatment needed on standby. Kacie Bullard and her son spent days inside of a corner room at St. Louis Children’s Hospital after a diagnosis no one ever expected. 'When they told me he was on a hourly basis that he wasn’t on the medication. It can take the turn for the worse at any moment,' she said. Bullard had moved back to the area just months ago with her three children and great grandmother. 'I went to the St. Genevieve Health Department to sign up for WIC, and they do a hemoglobin test,' she said. Young Oliver and his sister were diagnosed well above the average for lead toxicity. The average sits between 0.5 and 3.5 micrograms. Oliver’s lead levels came back at nearly 50 micrograms. 'He couldn’t leave without the medication that he’s on because he was on hours, days of possibly dying from it. The scariest thing I’ve ever been through,' Bullard said.  Listen to the broadcast. Another example of a child being diagnosed at WIC...while Cuyahoga County's WIC refuses to test children for Lead. For more info visit https://www.clashcle.org/advocacy-goals-2023/county-council-and-executive

• September 6, 2023, Organizations urge lawmakers to address lead contamination problem in Pennsylvania schools "As the school year heads into full swing, a new PennEnvironment report ranks Pennsylvania among one of the worst states in the country when it comes to finding lead in drinking water at schools, highlighting an ongoing health risk for students across the Commonwealth. 'Thousands of educators and students spend hours every day in our schools with no idea that the water they are drinking is poisoning them," said Jeff Ney, vice president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. The report gives Pennsylvania an 'F' grade, along with 27 other states, when it comes to addressing lead contamination in school drinking water. 'This is happening in every corner of the Commonwealth, from Butler county to Scranton, in rural schools, in suburban schools and urban schools,' said Stephanie Wein, a clean water advocate for PennEnvironment." Listen to the broadcast here. More here. Will CMSD address lead poisoning?

• Sep. 10, 2023, Syracuse.com. Get tougher on Syracuse landlords letting kids be poisoned by lead (Editorial Board Opinion). "A year ago, Syracuse created a new weapon to fight childhood lead poisoning. City government enacted a law that makes peeling paint a code violation as serious as faulty wiring or broken porch steps. Property owners could be fined if they don’t seal in the lead by painting over it. A year later, the city has made some progress. Code enforcement officers have issued more than 3,000 lead violations and brought more than 1,600 properties into compliance. That’s a drop in the ocean in a city of 9,000 rental properties — but it’s a start. It’s also clear that city government does not have strong enough tools to compel landlords to do the bare minimum to keep another generation of children from getting poisoned by lead — and doing irreversible damage to their brains, their capacity to learn and their personalities. Various efforts to attack the lead problem by city government, Onondaga County government, nonprofit groups and charities are stymied by amoral property owners who just don’t care that they are permanently harming children." 

• Sep 4, 2023. WYTV. Positive Parenting: Keeping kids safe from lead poisoning. "For this week’s Positive Parenting, we’re talking about how to protect your kids from lead poisoning. According to pediatricians at Akron Children’s Hospital, kids under the age of 6 are most at risk if exposed to lead. 'Family practice doctors or pediatricians really should be screening for lead poisoning in kids that are 1 years old and 2 years old,' said Dr. Joel Davidson, pediatrician at Akron Children’s Hospital."

• 8/31/23. NBC News. Marijuana users found to have lead and another heavy metal in their blood and urine. "Some marijuana users may have elevated levels of lead and cadmium — two heavy metals linked to long-term health issues — in their blood and urine, a new study shows. Among a group of more than 7,200 adults, the 358 who reported using marijuana within the past 30 days were found to have 27% higher blood lead levels than those who said they didn’t use either marijuana or tobacco." Here's the study.   Thought balloon. Marijuana legalization is one way to help ensure the "quality" of the pot that's available to the community.

•  August 23, 2023. Another Source of Lead Exposure for Kids: Secondhand Smoke."One source of lead exposure in children may surprise you. It's secondhand smoke, according to a Texas A&M University study. 'Further research will likely paint a clearer picture of this exposure route, especially in younger children, but the findings here can inform current efforts to eliminate low-level lead exposure in children,' said co-author Dr. Genny Carrillo, an associate professor of public health. 'For example, education of parents about secondhand smoke as a source of lead exposure could help decrease lead exposure in children and further build on the successes of past lead removal initiatives,' she said in a university news release." Link to the study. When Dr. David Margolius of the Cleveland Health Department said that Tobacco smoking and Lead poisoning were the #1 and #2 most important public health issues facing Cleveland, he maybe sees the connection. MORE HERE. 

• August 27th, 2023. Racine County Eye. The tale of Arvan Johnson: battling the devastating effects of lead poisoning. "Arvan Johnson, an 11-year-old boy headed into middle school, knows about the lead poisoning that happened when he was a baby. While he doesn’t remember it, his mother, Leanna Jones, told him how he used to crawl on the floor when he was a baby in their apartment on Martin Luther King Drive. She remembers seeing small paint chips on the floor. As he grew older, she noticed his speech was delayed. That’s how the doctors discovered his lead poisoning. Staff screened him for lead poisoning with a finger prick test during a well-baby checkup at the Women, Infants and Children’s (WIC) Clinic. Noting that his lead levels were elevated, this prompted a trip to the pediatrician’s office for further evaluation. Doctors told Jones there was no safe lead level in the blood and that Arvan’s blood lead levels hovered around 10 micrograms per deciliter. Today’s standard for monitoring blood lead levels in children under five now is 3.5 micrograms per deciliter as the benchmark for concern." Emphasis added by CLASH as a reminder that WIC in Cuyahoga County does not test enrolled children for lead exposure.

• Aug 24, 2023. KREX. Ascent Classical charter school’s new home sparks worries of lead poisoning – update. "GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. Ascent Classical Academy, a charter school moving to Grand Junction, has been questioned on their efforts to remediate lead poisoning from the building they are moving into, the former Rocky Mountain Gun Club."

• August 24, 2023. Richmond Free Times. UPAL, Sa’ad El-Amin partnership seeks to decrease high levels of lead in soil, water. " 'Most cities including Richmond are Flints waiting to happen,' said Queen Zakia Shabazz, the founder and director of UPAL. 'Our goal is to prevent thousands of children from experiencing lead poisoning like those in Flint, Michigan.' Ms. Shabazz’s toddler was poisoned by lead in her home, prompting her to establish UPAL organization in 1996. UPAL creates networks of parents with similar experiences in an effort to educate and spread awareness about the crisis and how to manage their children’s health. The strong support system and parent advocacy group has grown, being funded millions of dollars by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. With this funding, UPAL conducts residential lead tests and remediation efforts. The organization has also certified contractors, painters, and other tradesmen in EPA’s Renovation Repair and Painting and created a Lead Dust Sampling Technician course." 

• August 28th, 2023. Wisconsin Watch. Milwaukee renters face higher lead poisoning risks as city struggles to hold landlords accountable. ‘We have to do something,’ a Milwaukee Health Department official says as the city rolls out a new approach to removing lead from older rentals. [   ] Little impact from year-old ordinance, The Milwaukee Common Council sought to tackle this problem in July 2022, enacting an ordinance designed to prevent landlord retaliation and stiffen penalties for refusal to address detected lead. That included allowing the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS) to allow tenants to withhold rent when landlords fail to comply. But DNS received zero rent-withholding referrals during the first year of the ordinance, a spokesperson said. DNS can refer lead-related complaints to the city health department for enforcement, but the agency says few complaints specifically mention lead. DNS often receives complaints about peeling paint, a common sign of lead hazards. But it has authority only over building codes and not the health codes that deal with lead hazards. So if a child isn’t yet found to be lead poisoned, DNS simply orders landlords to repaint without abating lead. That risks further contaminating properties if a contractor scrapes away old paint without properly cleaning up, said Michael Mannan, the city health department’s director of home environmental health. In those cases it’s up to landlords to act in good faith — to recognize they might have lead, test their properties and remediate if need be, DNS Commissioner Erica Roberts said. [   ] 'We know it’s not working,' Mannan said about broad city efforts to rid rentals of lead. 'We have to do something.' ” 

• August 28, 2023 WXPR Education, Environmental Groups Press for Safe Drinking Water in Schools. "Organizations such as the National Parent Teacher Association and National Education Association have sent the Environmental Protection Agency a letter - asking it to bolster the Lead and Copper Rule, which regulates the levels of these contaminants in public drinking water. Environment America signed on to the letter too, and the group's Clean Water Director John Rumpler said despite more awareness about the dangers, students and teachers still are at risk. 'What the data shows us, from the last few years," said Rumpler, "is that lead contamination of schools' drinking water is in fact, widespread.' " more here  

• August 28, 2023. NPR. Milwaukee Public Schools hopeful new filters will help keep drinking water safe. "Milwaukee Public Schools is hopeful a donation from a local company will help keep its drinking water safe for students and staff. Milwaukee-based Zurn Elkay Water Solutions donated $2.2 million dollars in water filtration systems that will be installed throughout the district to help keep drinking water safe and reduce the level of lead in the water, an issue that the city has been dealing with for years. This summer, MPS installed nearly 600 new Elkay filtered bottle filling stations and converted 2,500 existing filling stations and drinking fountains to the Elkay filtration system." more here

• Aug. 30, 2023. U.S. News & World Report. Segregation Has Close Ties With Lead Poisoning in Black American Kids. " 'Young Black children living in racially segregated U.S. neighborhoods are at heightened risk of potentially brain-damaging lead exposure, a new study warns. The study, of nearly 321,000 North Carolina children under the age of 7, found that those living in predominantly Black neighborhoods had higher blood levels of lead than those living in more integrated areas. But in fact, the study found, residential segregation has endured and actually increased in many areas -- in North Carolina and nationwide. That residential segregation is no accident, experts pointed out: It is rooted in a long history of policies such as 'redlining' that isolated Black Americans into neighborhoods marked by little to no investment and high poverty rates.' " see Dr. Robert Fischer's comment...above under Around Cleveland.

• Aug 30, 2023. Choteau Acantha. Teton County Health Department now offers lead testing. The Teton County Health Department’s new Maternal Child Health Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, which will promote and increase testing for lead exposure in children, is set to begin on Sept. 1. Health Department Director Melissa Moyer and Jessie Racicot, a screening services and patient guidance nurse for Toole and Teton counties, said in a late July interview that the main purpose of the program is to educate families on the importance of testing their children for lead exposure. During her time at the TCHD, Moyer said she has seen a “gap” in services for this type of testing. This sparked a conversation last spring with health department staff on how the county has not seen the amount of blood lead level testing results the health department should be receiving."  Seriously, people, Teton County Montana can provide child lead testing, but neither Cleveland Department of Public Health or Cuyahoga County Board of Health can provide child testing? Seriously?

• 
  

Approaching zero. A new goal that's between lead safe and lead free.

• August 30th, 2023. Wisconsin Watch President Biden’s EPA proposes tougher lead dust rules. Here’s what it means in Wisconsin. "Aiming to reduce childhood lead exposure, the federal Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a rule that would require property owners to clean up any reportable amount of lead dust detected on floors and window sills at pre-1978 homes and child care facilities. The proposal, announced in July, would lower the threshold of lead considered hazardous — and therefore requiring abatement — on floors and window sills. It would also lower dust-lead clearance levels: how much lead may linger for abatement to be considered complete. Landlords still would not be required to proactively test for lead under the proposal. In Wisconsin, local health departments typically require lead testing at properties only after a child is found to be lead poisoned. But the EPA rule, if finalized, could reduce the lead exposures of 250,000 to 500,000 U.S. children younger than six each year, the EPA estimates."

• AUGUST 23, 2023. The Atlantic. Zero Lead Is an Impossible Ask for American Parents "Families can spend thousands and still not totally eliminate lead from their children’s lives." From the article "Parents simply can’t get to zero without help. Lead is invisible and pervasive. Although the Flint, Michigan, water crisis and recent product recalls have raised awareness about lead leaching from corroding pipes and hiding inside baby food, the biggest sources of exposure for children are the spaces where they live and play: inside houses and apartments with old, degrading paint and yards with contaminated soil. For many, there is no easy escape. Lead contamination is most common in low-income neighborhoods, which means Black and Hispanic kids are disproportionately affected."  Who should pay the price for new lead safety standards?

August 2023

• Aug. 02, 2023. Cleveland.com. After Cleveland hemp manufacturer never takes off, lawsuit ends in judgment for jilted workers. "A federal judge ordered a judgment against the companies behind high-profile plans for a hemp manufacturing operation in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood that quickly fell flat." Why is this a lead story? The proposed site which "volunteer" workers were clearing turns out to be an industrial waste site. The site was also considered as a possible site for the new Jail. BTW: CLASH is planning to resume researching toxic waste sites in the fall. If you are interested in research around toxic waste sites, write to clevelandleadsafe@gmail.com

• Aug. 02, 2023. Cleveland.com. Many solutions to reducing crime are more effective than just hiring more police: Eric Foster, "Research has long established a correlative relationship between violent crime and place. In other words, violent crime tends to be concentrated in specific areas. Cities can make headway by investing resources in these areas of concentrated violent crime, which also tend to be historically under or dis-invested. Renovating housing, vacant buildings, land, and lots in these areas has been shown to significantly reduce violent crime rates. Lead removal consistently gets buried or lost in the conversation about reducing violent crime. Researchers have for years now argued that lead exposure increases crime. A meta-analysis of the effect of lead on crime conducted last year concluded that lead pollution increases crime."

• Aug 05, 2023. WEWS; CLE Shaker Square tenants victorious in federal ruling on city nuisance case "Dozens of tenants living at Cleveland's Residences at Shaker Square Apartments, who have been fighting for better living conditions, scored a victory in federal court, allowing their case to be heard in city housing court. Long-time tenant Ronald James said he was pleased to hear that Northern Ohio District Judge Charles E. Fleming ruled to allow a civil nuisance law filed by the City of Cleveland against eight owners of the three Shaker Square apartment buildings can move forward." This is big news for the Cleveland Law Department which has a "go ahead" to bring nuisance against the almost 600 Cleveland properties with outstanding Lead Hazard Control Orders. CLASH says "fix'm up or tear'm down (safely). The question now is whether the Bibb administration has the will to bring these cases to court. 

• PatriciaD reports: "...Youngstown City Council passed the Residential Lead-Based Paint Ordinance which requires 'all residential rental units in the City constructed prior to January 1, 1978 to have lead-safe certification no later than March 1, 2028.' It also creates a Lead-Safe Advisory Board and Community Legal Aid is to appoint a member to the board." waiting for media reports

•  Jul 31, 2023. Ark Valley Voice. CHAFFEE COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH BEGINS OFFERING BLOOD LEAD TESTING FOR CHILDREN. "Beginning on August 1, 2023, Chaffee County Public Health (CCPH) will offer FREE blood lead testing for children, by appointment in Salida and Buena Vista." Seriously Cuyahoga Board of Health--you can't figure out how to do this? Or should we call you Bored of Health?

• July 31, 2023 Fox News. Lead and other metal contaminants increase heart disease risk, AHA warns: ‘We need to do better’ "AHA researchers investigated the impact of lead, cadmium and arsenic on the risk of heart disease and stroke. They found that exposure to these metals raises the risk of dying from coronary heart disease, which is caused by a narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. The adverse health effects of lead exposure are well-known, but many physicians aren’t aware of the link between heavy metal contaminants and cardiovascular issues, the American Heart Association indicates. 'Large population studies indicate that even low-level exposure to contaminant metals is near-universal and contributes to the burden of cardiovascular disease, especially heart attacks, stroke, disease of the arteries to the legs and premature death from cardiac causes,' said Gervasio A. Lamas, M.D., chairman of medicine and chief of the Columbia University Division of Cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida, in a statement to Fox News Digital."

• Jul 31, 2023. WISN. Person of the Week: Coalition on Lead Emergency "The group sponsored a back to school block party and gave out school supplies. [video transcript] OUR PERSONS OF THE WEEK THIS WEEK ARE A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS WHO SPENT A SATURDAY AFTERNOON GETTING KIDS READY FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR. THE COALITION ON LEAD EMERGENCY SPONSORED SATURDAY’S BACK TO SCHOOL BLOCK PARTY. THEY HANDED OUT FREE BACKPACKS, SUPPLIES AND FOOD. ORGANIZERS SAY FREE BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES ARE A GREAT HELP TO MILWAUKEE FAMILIES. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY HERE BECAUSE A LOT OF US HAVE A LOT OF FOOD INSECURITIES, A LOT OF KIDS WILL START SCHOOL WITHOUT THE NECESSARY SUPPLIES THAT THEY NEED. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO OFFERED A FREE LEAD TESTING TO MAKE SURE KIDS WHO LIVE IN OLDER MILWAUKEE NEIGHBORHOODS DO NOT HAVE LEAD POISONING."

• August 1, 2023. Press Release. Mayor Adams Announces Successful Enforcement Action Against Four Landlords to Protect Children From Lead. "After finding substantial health and safety violations in these apartments — including hundreds related to lead-based paint — the city over three months in early 2022 entered into comprehensive agreements with their property owners that imposed nearly $500,000 in civil penalties, compelled property owners to resolve all outstanding violations, and forced compliance with Local Law 1 of 2004 — the New York City Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act. Nearly 3,500 violations have already been corrected to date, and all four property owners must continue to demonstrate compliance with health and safety requirements for the next three years."

• Aug 1, 2023. The Journal. Colorado receives $835,000 to reduce lead exposure in child care facilities and schools. "On July 31, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that Colorado will receive $835,000 in grant funding to minimize lead exposure in schools and child care facilities. Through the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda, funds for lead mitigation will support testing and compliance monitoring as well as lead remediation in water that children and employees in schools and child care facilities drink. Additionally, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act allows the removal of lead sources. This includes replacing lead pipes and lead connectors, which are a predominant source for lead poisoning. Remediation projects also include the removal, installation and replacement of internal plumbing, faucets, water fountains and water filler stations."

• August 3rd 2023. Fox 17.com Middle Tennessee high school alerts parents of lead contamination found in drinking water NASHVILLE, Tenn.--A Middle Tennessee school district has warned parents of some high school children of lead contamination found in drinking water. According to a letter sent to parents of Coffee County Central High School students -which was confirmed by FOX 17 News, the Coffee County School District is warning recent tests showed levels of lead above 20 parts per billion in six test samples."

• Aug 4, 2023. WRAL. Durham parks that were formerly incinerator sites closed after lead found in soil, "The City of Durham fenced off several parks Friday, after finding high levels of lead in the soil. The City of Durham fenced off parts of several parks and installed warning signs Friday after finding high lead levels in the soil. The city directed a third party to conduct soil collection and testing using EPA-qualified methods after a Duke study indicated that the soil was contaminated with lead."

• August 1, 2023. Studyfinds.org. Lead exposure during childhood could lead to a life of crime in adulthood. " Exposure to lead during childhood or even in the womb may predispose individuals to criminal behavior later in life, a new study reveals. A research team from George Washington University discovered that children who had higher levels of the toxic metal in their bodies were more likely to engage in criminal activities as adults. They found this correlation applicable to children exposed to lead both during their mother’s pregnancy and their first few years of life. 'Children do not absorb or metabolize lead in the same way as adults and are far more susceptible to the negative impacts of lead exposure due to a hyper-permeable blood-brain barrier and rapidly developing organ systems,' says Dr. Maria Jose Talayero Schettino, the lead researcher of the study, in the journal PLOS Global Public Health. 'This review demonstrates an association between exposure to lead and the later development of delinquent, antisocial, and criminal behavior.' ” Thanks to ZacheryB for sharing

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• 1-Aug-2023. George Washington University. Lead Exposure in Early Life Linked to Higher Risk of Criminal Behavior in Adulthood."New analysis from George Washington University spotlights need for policies to prevent future health and social problems from lead exposure."

• Aug 02, 2023. Medical Daily. Lead Exposure Instills Criminal Instincts? Study Says People Exposed In Womb, Childhood Are At Higher Risk

• Aug 2, 2023. Four States. Children exposed to lead show elevated criminal risks as adults, study says

• 08/02/23. The Messenger Lead Exposure in Youth Linked to Criminal Activities as Adult: Study "There are long lasting impacts of youth exposure"

• Aug 23, 2023 WEWS. CLE child lead poisoning concerns spark free lead soil testing in Kinsman neighborhood. "Concerned Citizens Community Council, CLASH and U.S EPA gather the issue of free lead soil tests on Aug. 26. CLE child lead poisoning concerns spark free lead soil testing in Kinsman neighborhood" Thanks JoeP for the coverage.

• Aug 22, 2023. The Citizen. Cayuga County launches lead poisoning campaign. "The Cayuga County Health Department has launched a new campaign, No Home for Lead, to create awareness around lead poisoning and reduce lead exposure in homes. Those expecting a baby or who have children 6 and younger living in or visiting their homes can request a free home lead risk assessment from the county's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. Teams will test chipping and peeling paint, teach residents how to protect themselves and their families from lead exposure, and provide household cleaning items to make their homes lead-safe." (our bold/italics)

• Aug 23, 2023. Fox 17. Kalamazoo, MDHHS team up to tackle lead issues, certify more professionals. "The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services partnered with the city of Kalamazoo to certify more lead professionals as part of the push to make homes safer. Kalamazoo is boosting its efforts to tackle lead issues in older homes— the city teamed up with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to certify more lead professionals."

• Aug 23, 2023. Reuters EPA sued over 'egregious' delay in addressing lead weights in car wheels, "EPA agreed to consider regulations in 2009. Groups say the lack of action is unreasonable. Lead weights can fall off wheels, contaminating streams and soil. Public health and environmental groups have accused the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of unreasonably delaying regulations that could ban lead weights in automobile wheels, which can break loose and contaminate streams and soil near roadways. In a petition filed with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday, the Sierra Club, the Center for Environmental Health and others said the EPA has not finalized rules for the lead weights despite saying it would do so 14 years ago."

July 2023

• July 5th, 2023. Prism. Organizers in upstate New York make waves in fight to tackle lead poisoning. Child lead poisoning rates in some New York census tracts are roughly twice as high than those in Flint, Michigan, at the peak of its water crisis. People in upstate New York are facing a lead poisoning crisis with damaging impacts on children at a distressing scale. Public health advocates say this is a fixable issue, but local governments’ and state leaders’ proposed solutions have mostly been at a standstill. Now, thanks to activism by local organizers, some city governments are starting to take action."

• Jul 7, 2023. Patch. Free Lead Testing: Bloomfield Encourages Residents To Sign Up. "Mayor Michael Venezia and the Township of Bloomfield are encouraging all residents to sign up for free lead testing of their home or apartment through the local nonprofit organization La Casa De Don Pedro. 'Lead poisoning is a slow and silent killer that can have a tremendous impact on the development of children,' said Mayor Venezia. 'While we no longer use lead paint in our homes, it can still be present from decades past which is why we must be so vigilant in its identification and removal. I encourage all Bloomfield residents to take full advantage of this free program to ensure your family’s safety and health.' ”

June 2023

• June 12. 2023. WMUR. Report shows elevated levels of lead in many New Hampshire schools "Schools working to replace affected water sources.  "Last summer, Gov. Chris Sununu signed a new law that lowers the accepted levels of lead in water at New Hampshire schools, but News 9 Investigates has learned that some schools are still reporting high levels of the heavy metal. House Bill 1421 was signed into law in July 2022. It made changes to a 2018 law that requires New Hampshire schools and licensed child care facilities to test their drinking water for lead."

• Jun 12. 2023. WRAL Duke student finds lead in soil at 3 Durham parks, suspects contamination at 2 others. On June 1, a report from Duke student Enikoe Bihari concluded there were mineral soil concentrations of lead in some areas of East End Park, East Durham Park and Walltown Park. Lead is suspected at Northgate Park and Lyon Park. A neighborhood association is looking into what's next after a Duke student researcher found "alarmingly high" levels of lead in the soil of three Durham parks. Several parents who spoke with WRAL News had no idea of the findings and said they wish the city did more to let parents know. On December 2022, a report from Duke student Enikoe Bihari concluded there were mineral soil concentrations of lead in some areas of East End Park, East Durham Park and Walltown Park. Lead is suspected at Northgate Park and Lyon Park. The report only recently came into the public eye."

• Undated. Medical News Today. Heart disease: How exposure to lead increases the risk and what you can do. "A new statement shows that chronic exposure to lead, cadmium, and arsenic increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and other negative health outcomes. Regulations have helped curb the levels of these contaminants, but they’re still present in many areas. Older houses, older pipes, and contaminated groundwater are a source of these contaminants, along with certain occupations. These negative effects disproportionately affect those in lower socioeconomic brackets. For most people, the risk remains low, but experts say it’s important to monitor your health and limit exposure. Despite decades of regulatory work to limit the amount of lead and other toxic metals in the environment, experts say the risk of adverse health effects still remains. A statementTrusted Source published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association outlines the ways in which chronic exposure to low levels of lead, cadmium, and arsenic can contribute to cardiovascular disease, along with an increased risk of stroke and peripheral artery disease."

• BMC Public Health. Patterns of global burden of 13 diseases attributable to lead exposure, 1990–2019. "Strong epidemiological evidence, such as a comprehensive quantitative assessment of the disease burden attributable to lead exposure, would aid the development of effective prevention strategies that reduce the hazards of lead exposure. However, to date, there has been no comprehensive, accurate description of the global disease burden of lead exposure. Therefore, this study comparatively assessed the burden and trends of multiple diseases attributable to lead exposure among different populations at global, regional, and national levels using the latest data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD), aiming to provide a comprehensive basis for the scientific, precise development of lead exposure prevention and control strategies."

• June 12, 2023. Sierra Sun Times. California’s U.S. Senator Alex Padilla Pushes for EPA Superfund Designation for Southeast Los Angeles Neighborhoods Affected by Exide Pollution.  "Last week, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) traveled to Southeast Los Angeles County to meet with community leaders and families impacted by lead contamination caused by a nearby former Exide Technologies Inc. facility. Padilla was joined by Representatives Robert Garcia (D-Calif.-42) and Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.-34), Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), and local community leaders in calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate the impacted neighborhoods as a Superfund site, which will help provide critical resources and expertise for a proper clean-up. During the visit, Padilla received a briefing on the status of neighborhoods containing lead-contaminated soil while he toured a home currently undergoing the decontamination process."

•  Jun 13, 2023. The Daily News. Genesee County Health Department considers home visits. "Genesee County has about $95,000 in annual grant funding to keep offering home evaluations and health hazard prevention education, should the Legislature choose to accept it. Legislators will vote on whether to do that when they meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Old County Courthouse, 7 Main St. Staff from the Genesee County Health Department have visited homes or hung information about Healthy Neighborhoods on residents’ doors in some neighborhoods. They’ve been making visits during the day, but are planning to try visits in the evening."

• June 12, 2023. State of New York. 'Don't Bring Lead Home' educates New Yorkers about exposure to lead in certain occupations and hobbies  "The New York State Department of Health today announced the launching of the "Don't Bring Lead Home" public health awareness campaign to educate the public about the dangers of lead exposure for adults. The Department highlights ways that adults can be exposed to lead from certain jobs and or hobbies, how lead can be transported home, and tips to prevent exposure. The month-long campaign includes social media content as well as display advertising to target people who work with lead and those who have hobbies that can expose them to lead, such as hunting and target shooting. A separate campaign focused on childhood lead poisoning will also run later this month." 

• Jun 16, 2023. Fox 56 News. Why is lead testing for kids down in Kentucky? "After the Jessamine County Homeless Coalition discovered it bought a Nicholasville property, with high levels of lead and arsenic, questions have surfaced about lead poisoning. [...] " A 2016 CDC report shows that most central Kentucky counties tested less than three percent of children for lead poisoning. Last year, the CDC granted Kentucky $350,000 to boost lead-poisoning testing in the state. A 2016 CDC report shows that most central Kentucky counties tested less than three percent of children for lead poisoning. Last year, the CDC granted Kentucky $350,000 to boost lead-poisoning testing in the state. 'There’s so much stuff we have to do for children when they’re young, between testing and vaccinations,” Stanton said. “You don’t want something that’s going to be, you know, potentially in this case, somebody who’s seen thousands and thousands of children and only seen one elevated level. And so where is the juice worth the squeeze with regard to is this where we need to be putting the health care dollars? This is one of the strangest stories we've seen in months!

• June 16, 2023. KSDK. SLPS plans to replace lead-contaminated fencing at 21 elementary schools before the school year  "Shenandoah Elementary School in south St. Louis is on the list of public schools where lead-contaminated chain link fencing will soon be history. Missouri State Representative LaKeySha Bosley is glad about it. 'Just making sure that we keep up to code and updated,' Bosley said. The school is located in the state representative's 79th district.' ” 

• June 21, 2023. Times Union. Environmental report details Poughkeepsie’s lead poisoning ‘crisis’. "A memo sent to city leaders last week by the nonprofit organization Environmental Advocates of New York began with a severe message: 'Poughkeepsie has a lead poisoning crisis.' The eight-page document dated June 14 listed several concerns about the prevalence of lead water pipes throughout the city, local government’s efforts to remove them, the inflated cost Poughkeepsie is paying to replace lead pipes and the risks residents may be exposed to."

• June 20, 2023. EIN News. RIDOH and Attorney General Announce Rhode Island Free Lead Screening Days in June. "As part of efforts to help all children in Rhode Island be tested for lead poisoning at least twice by the age of three, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and the Office of Attorney General Peter F. Neronha are announcing two lead screening events next week. The events are free and no health insurance is required."

• Jun 21, 2023. WOOD TV. Free filters tackle lead exposure in Kent Co. "Health officials launched a pilot program Wednesday as the state and county continue to combat lead exposure. In the Get Ahead of Lead program, Kent County homes that have lead plumbing, a lead service line or older faucets can receive a lead-reducing drinking water filter. While old lead paint is largely to blame for lead poisoning, officials said old pipes and service lines may also contribute to the issue. Nearly 18,000 homes qualify for the filter. To be eligible, households must have a kid under the age of 18 or a pregnant woman living there, as well as have a household member who is enrolled in WIC or Medicaid. Additionally, the households must show they cannot afford the cost of a filter." more here

• June 21, 2023 KABC 22 felony charges filed against metal recycling company for toxic waste dumping at Watts high school. "The Los Angeles County district attorney on Wednesday announced 22 felony charges against a metal recycling company and its owners in connection with the dumping of toxic waste at Jordan High School in Watts."

• JUNE 23, 2023. Michigan Advance. Doctors, parents urge lawmakers to pass legislation requiring lead testing for Michigan children. 

• Jun 24, 2023. Lancaster on line. Lead abatement programs targeting more than 3,300 Lancaster County dwellings have remediated 377 so far "When Jackie Hernandez’s oldest son was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and struggled in school after being exposed to lead, it was “the worst feeling in the world,” the Grand Rapids resident told a Michigan House panel on Thursday. 'I remember feeling as if I was the worst parent in the world,' Hernandez said during a House Health Policy Committee meeting. Years later, Hernandez’s son would go on to graduate from high school – something children exposed to lead are seven times less likely to do than those who are not – but the struggle against lead wasn’t over for her. Now the community connections coordinator at the Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan, Hernandez on Thursday voiced her support for legislation that would require all young children in Michigan to be tested for the presence of lead in their blood.' When Kayla and Thomas Wilkinson’s twins showed elevated levels of lead in their blood at their three-year checkup, Kayla and Thomas were sent home and told to keep the twins away from windows and other sources of lead dust. 'They literally sent us a pamphlet in the mail,' Kayla Wilkinson said, 'like that was that.' Last summer, a decade after the Wilkinsons’ first experience with lead poisoning, staff from Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health and national nonprofit Green & Healthy Homes Initiative knocked on their door to promote a program that would remediate the lead hazards in their Columbia home – at no cost. With another toddler at home, the offer seemed perfectly timed."

• Jun. 12, 2023. Cleveland.com. Cuyahoga Executive Chris Ronayne favors moving jail to Garfield Heights over Cleveland brownfield site. "Preliminary soil testing at the Kirby Avenue site showed “significant man-made issues” that could take up to two years to clean up before construction can begin, according to the comparison chart. Ronayne wouldn’t go into detail about what some of those toxins may be, noting a deeper study is underway to determine the extent of contamination and what it would cost to clean up, but he anticipates it will require “pretty significant” remediation. Cuyahoga County has been reviewing this location at Kirby Avenue and Eddy road on the east side of Cleveland as a potential new home for the county jail. One of seven parcels that would make up the jail site once housed the National ACME, Co., but today is an abandoned brownfield that the county says would require extensive  remediation. 

• June 5, 2023. Signal Cleveland. Cleveland City Council’s marathon session before its summer break. "Lead inspections: The committee approved legislation allowing the Cleveland Department of Public Health to perform lead investigations in the city. The state would reimburse the city for each investigation from its Medicaid money. The legislation also allows the city to contract with local companies or agencies (such as Environmental Health Watch) to do investigations."

• June 15, 2023. Signal Cleveland. Quality of Cleveland’s occupied homes and structures dips, new property survey shows.  "94% of occupied structures earned excellent to fair rating, a drop from 98% in 2015; more than half of vacant structures rated deteriorated or hazardous." But..."Surveyors saw 336 lead placards on properties, indicating a house needs to be vacated due to lead hazards. The surveyors suspected about 75% of those properties had people living in them. Robb said organizations and city departments working to address the lead paint problem in Cleveland can use survey information like peeling paint and bare soil along with publicly available information on the age of a home to monitor properties in a more concentrated way."  NSS: CLASH and others have been demanding FOR YEARS that these properties be renovated or demolished using Ohio's Nuisance Abatement Law. 

• June 12, 2023. Tap into the Breeze. Raritan Borough to Hire Company for Lead-Based Paint Inspections. "RARITAN, NJ - New Jersey is requiring municipalities to inspect every single-family, two-family and multi-rental unit for lead-based paint, including rental units in Raritan Borough. However, while most municipalities in Somerset County are required to do a visual inspection, Raritan Borough is one of three in the county required to do dust wipe sampling, along with North Plainfield Borough and the Borough of Peapack and Gladstone."

• June 12, 2023. EPA Press Office. EPA Launches Nationwide Series of Community Lead Awareness Sessions. "WASHINGTON – As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to protect communities from childhood lead exposure and advance environmental justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a series of free educational sessions on the dangers of lead and ways to reduce and prevent lead exposure. These sessions are based on the Lead Awareness Curriculum, an adaptable resource to protect communities from potential lead exposure, and will be held in English and Spanish. ''We know that children living below the poverty level or in older housing are at a higher risk of exposure to lead,” said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff. “We’re proud to partner with communities that face elevated risks from lead exposure to create healthier homes for children to thrive.' ”

• June 13, 2023. Sahan Journal. In Minneapolis, three-fourths of kids with elevated levels of lead are children of color. These workers are trying to do something about that. "The city’s Healthy Homes team does extensive outreach and conducts detailed inspections of homes deemed at risk of lead exposure. Inspectors say immigrant communities may encounter lead in items like coal used as makeup; imported spices; and medicines, candy, and toys that come directly from other countries."

• June 14th 2023, Bill passes in Michigan Senate that would require lead testing for children. "Legislation has passed in the Michigan Senate that would require lead testing for Michigan children if signed into law. Senate Bill 31, sponsored by Senator John Cherry of Flint, directs physicians to test a child’s blood for the presence of lead when they are between 12 and 24 months old and again between the ages of 2 and 6 years old (with parental consent). Universal lead testing at 12 and 24 months and, if no test is on record for those ages, then between 24 and 72 months; Universal testing of 4-year-olds that live within a geographic region that poses a higher risk of lead poisoning; Universal testing if a child lives in a home that was built before 1978, or one where other children have been diagnosed with lead poisoning; and A requirement that a minor must be tested at more regular intervals if a physician determines they are at risk of childhood lead poisoning based on the factors above."

• June 15, 2023. WISpolitics. Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities: Legislature passes bills to help property owners remove lead paint, improve housing safety "Today the state Senate and Assembly passed two housing bills (SB 294/AB 265 and SB 297/AB267) that will help improve the safety of existing single-family homes and buildings being converted into housing. The bills allow property owners to apply for loans that can be used to remediate lead paint, lead plumbing, abate asbestos, and address other environmental contamination. “Lead poisoning is a 100% preventable cause of intellectual and developmental disabilities, and lead paint is the number one source of lead poisoning,” said Beth Swedeen, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities. 'These bills are important steps towards making more housing safer. Every Wisconsin county has children poisoned by lead.' ”

• June 16, 2023. Heilonews AHA: Toxic metal exposure threatens heart health, particularly in underserved communities. "Complications of toxic metal exposure include ASCVD, ECG abnormalities, stroke and death. High lead, cadmium and arsenic levels were found in the soil and water of many historically underrepresented communities. Toxic metals such as lead, cadmium and arsenic found in food and water represent a significant hazard CV health in the U.S., particularly among historically underrepresented communities, according to a scientific statement. Together, the American Heart Association’s councils on epidemiology and prevention; CV and stroke nursing; lifestyle and cardiometabolic health; peripheral vascular disease; and kidney in CVD issued a call to action to reinforce regulatory measures to reduce population level exposure to toxic metals."

• June 16, 2023 MSU Today. MSU, Corewell Health partner to investigate effects of lead exposure on pregnant women, newborns. "Researchers with Michigan State University and Corewell Health are partnering to study the health effects of lead poisoning in the Grand Rapids area where about one in 10 children has elevated lead levels in their blood, according to state data. Researchers will use a new test and umbilical cord-derived stem cells to evaluate the effects of lead exposure on the developing immune system during early life stages. In parallel, clinicians and researchers at Corewell Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, will explore any impacts of lead exposure on maternal health outcomes. Lead is a toxic metal that can cause various health problems, including developmental delays, intellectual disabilities and behavioral issues in children. 

• Jun 09, 2023. WEWS. EPA-led cleanup turns once toxic site into East Side development opportunity, "A nearly $2 million cleanup of a contaminated industrial site on Cleveland’s East side was recently completed, moving the city’s industrial past one step closer to a more productive future. Using part of the city’s tranche of American Rescue Plan Act dollars, Mayor Justin Bibb has made the redeveloping of Brownfields and other industrial sites on the East Side one of his core policy priorities." 

• June 7th 2023. WFMJ. Youngstown water department working to rid thousands of homes of lead pipes. "The city plans to have all lead removed from its water distribution system by the year 2050. More than 52 thousand Youngstown residents have until June 30 to complete a survey regarding lead pipe service lines in their homes. The surveys are part of the city's push to identify and map areas of their water distribution systems that are known or likely to contain lead service lines for the Ohio EPA by October 16, 2024." 

• June 5, 2023. 830 WCCO Get the Lead Out: Grant pays for removal of lead-based paint for homeowners and landlords. "Every year, some 200 children in Hennepin County are found to have blood lead levels high enough to damage their health. That’s why the grant is targeting families with children under the age of six or homeowners who have frequent visitors under the age of six. Those who qualify for the grant will get Energy Star windows as replacements. If the cost for all the remediation is more than $15,000 Hennepin County will offer eligible homeowners and landlords deferred and low interest loans to help with the expense."

• 06/06/2023. PBN. Major landlord sued for violating state safety, lead hazard laws. "Attorney General Peter F. Neronha on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against a major Rhode Island landlord for violations of state rental, lead hazard and consumer protection laws. In the complaint filed in Providence County Superior Court, Nerhona accuses  Pioneer Investments LLC. and its president, Anurag Sureka, of routinely ignoring lead hazard laws, landlord-tenant laws, housing code regulations, and regularly engaging in unfair and deceptive trade practices throughout the state. The lawsuit also claims Pioneer’s properties have fallen into disrepair, pose significant health and safety risks, endangering renters, in particular the children who reside in these properties. Pioneer Investments owns and manages 175 residential units in Rhode Island." More here

• June 9, 2023. UpriseRI. Rhode Island House and Senate pass historic childhood lead mitigation legislation. "The legislation is an important first step towards eliminating childhood lead poisoning. Rhode Island: Rhode Island House and Senate pass historic childhood lead mitigation. The Rhode Island House and Senate passed a package of three bills to reduce childhood lead poisoning by ensuring landlords comply with lead-safety laws. Each bill is now expected be passed by the alternate chamber before heading to the governor’s desk."

• Jun 9, 2023 MyTwinTiers.com. Buffalo family’s dream apartment became health nightmare over unsafe lead paint levels – and 85,000 other homes are at risk. "Landlord violated 'Do Not Occupy' order for unsafe levels of lead paint. His guilty plea resulted in community service and an order to keep his rentals in compliance. But a family that rented a unit in the duplex said the long-drawn-out enforcement process did not protect them. The Mount family already felt pressure to find a new place to live that could fit their family when a re-housing nonprofit showed them a large apartment in a duplex in Buffalo. 'So, we looked at the apartment, and aesthetically the apartment is gorgeous,' said Bethany Mount, who agreed to sign the lease so their family of six could move in by December 2019. What the Mounts did not know was the landlord that rented them the upstairs apartment already was in the crosshairs of the Erie County Department of Health’s lead poisoning prevention program."

• JUN 6, 2023. Pgh Post-Gazette. Pa. Senate begins moving bill to require lead-testing for toddlers. "The Senate Health and Human Services Committee approved legislation Tuesday that would renew efforts to require universal blood tests to detect lead poisoning in children. The Senate last year passed legislation that would have mandated universal blood tests but the provision was weakened in the House with the requirement removed and instead includes language suggesting that doctors should consider U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance in determining whether to conduct lead testing on a child. That change was approved by the House Appropriations Committee with all Republicans on the committee voting for the amendment and all Democrats opposed. Democrats now hold a slim majority in the House." (paywalled)

• Jun 9, 2023 KVOA.com. ADHS getting more than $1 million in federal grant funding to test lead levels in school drinking water. "ADHS getting more than $1 million in federal grant funding to test lead levels in school drinking water. The program is voluntary. Arizona public schools and childcare facilities will have to opt-in to participate. The state is getting $1.4 million in grant money funded by Environmental Protection Agency to test lead levels in schools drinking water. The state is getting $1.4 million in grant money funded by Environmental Protection Agency to test lead levels in schools drinking water."

• Jun. 08, 2023. Syracuse.com. Young kids in Syracuse already have heart damage from high levels of toxins, study says. "Poor kids in Syracuse exposed to heavy metals like lead and arsenic have early heart and artery damage more typically found in adults, a 10-year study has found. Children ages 9 to 11 who had high levels of the toxic chemicals in their bodies also had sleep disorders and behavioral problems, the study revealed. Nearly 300 children, primarily from low-income families, were studied. While researchers have known for years that children have a variety of toxic chemicals in their bodies, they said this was the first research to link higher levels of those chemicals to early cardiovascular disease."

May 2023

• May 15, 2023. Signal Cleveland. Displaced: A family forced out of Cleveland rental home by lead hazards finds little support Cleveland struggles to enforce lead poisoning prevention laws. "The city has few options when landlords refuse to fix hazards. First in a series." 

• May 16, 2023. Signal Cleveland Cleveland lacks an emergency safety net for families displaced by lead hazards. " ‘It’s unfair to anyone in this situation’: As the city and its partners focused on prevention, enforcement and relocation efforts lagged."

• May 17, 2023. ‘It hurts everybody in the end’: No easy answers for families displaced by lead hazards. "As court proceedings drag out, officials scramble for emergency housing options. None currently exist."

• May 15, 2023. WEWS. Lakewood spruces neighborhoods with paint grants. "A local nonprofit is once again helping families spruce up their homes. 'It's something that if you don't fix it, then it's going to cost you more, you know, money and time,' homeowner Perri Topulli said." Question to Lakewood Alive, the non-profit sponsor: are you promoting lead safe practices for DIY painters and requiring RRP certifications for contractors? Besides potentially unleashing lead into the community, RRP is the law!

• MAY 16, 2023. vindy.com Youngstown council to address West Side water woes. "City council will consider an ordinance Wednesday for a $142,000 contract for engineering work on a proposed project to replace waterlines, several of which contain lead, to about 300 homes on the West Side. Also under consideration for replacement is a water mainline with a history of breaks on Mahoning Avenue." Is this a ​"​wait til they break​"​ strategy​ for lead line replacement​?

• May 18, 1889 -- Remembering Thomas Midgley Jr. an American mechanical and chemical engineer, who played a major role in developing leaded gasoline (tetraethyl lead) while working under the direction of Charles Kettering at Dayton Research Laboratories, a subsidiary of General Motors. He discovered that the addition of tetraethyllead (TEL) to gasoline prevented knocking in internal combustion engines. The company named the substance "Ethyl", avoiding all mention of lead in reports and advertising.

• May. 15, 2023. Syracuse. com. Childhood lead poisoning creeps up in Syracuse as more kids get tested. "Dr. Travis Hobart of Upstate Medical University said he was pleased more kids got tested in 2022.  'The thing that always worries me is that we may be missing some kids,' said Hobart, medical director of Upstate’s lead poisoning center.  The most recent state data from 2020 shows 67.1% of Onondaga County children received lead screenings by age 3, better than the state average of 62.4%  Onondaga County and the City of Syracuse are spending millions of dollars in federal money to remove lead from houses, inspect rental units, provide more services to children with lead poisoning and increase testing. The Onondaga County Health Department will begin providing mobile lead testing this summer. 

• May 16, 2023. Fresno Bee via Yahoo. Dangerous levels of metal found in water at dozens of childcare centers in Fresno County. "Dozens of childcare centers in Fresno County have dangerous levels of lead in their drinking water, according to a new report. In compliance with Assembly Bill 2370, California requires licensed childcare centers to test tap water for lead levels. The report, compiled by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, reveals that roughly one in four of the almost 7,000 tested centers exceeded the allowable amount of lead in their drinking water." More here.

• May 15, 2023. Michigan Radio. Legislation would take more steps to prevent lead exposure for toddlers. "Under proposed legislation sponsored by Democratic State Senator John Cherry, lead tests would be added to a child’s regular medical checkup routine. [...] A second bill sponsored by Democratic Representative Rachel Hood would change who has authority to see that contractors are certified for repairs of homes that likely have lead paint. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has that authority now. The legislation would give that authority to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services."

• May 16, 2023. Rochester Beacon. Rochester seeks community-led effort on lead removal. "As the city of Rochester engages in a $43.3 million upgrade to its water infrastructure, lead contamination plays a significant role. The city is asking residents to help identify water service lines that may have 'lead-containing materials.' [...] With the help of residents identifying and reporting the service line that comes into their homes, the city says, it will be possible to create a comprehensive inventory and aid the replacement efforts. Residents can find out if they have an unknown water service line here. To check a water service line, residents can follow the step-by-step instructions to test and report it."

• MAY 16TH, 2023. Washington City Paper. Bowser’s Proposed Budget Zeros Out $10 Million Program to Replace Lead Pipes. "In some neighborhoods, tap water lead levels remained extremely high as of 2010. A congressional investigation into the District’s water crisis resulted in a 2010 report called “A Public Health Tragedy: How Flawed C.D.C. Data and Faulty Assumptions Endangered Children’s Health in the Nation’s Capital.” The report outlined how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention failed to inform D.C. residents for years about what was then one of the worst water crises in the country."

• May 17, 2023. EagleHerald. Let the spring air in - not the lead contamination. "Open a window to let in the fresh air, but be careful that window isn’t letting in lead exposure, too. Years ago, pipes, paint and household fixtures used lead, but the most common source polluting homes is lead dust, said Wendy Stuart, public health nurse with the Marinette County Health and Human Services Department. People with older windows are susceptible — as a family opens and closes their windows, the action can scrape the old lead paint on the insides of the window, creating dust that falls onto the floor." Related article here cites Cleveland Clinic.

• May 17, 2023. Enterprise News. Here's what lead poisoning might mean for Brockton 2-year-old — and kids statewide. "Some landlords continue to ignore laws to decontaminate lead-ridden housing and often evict families who complain about children being lead-poisoned, according to a Boston Medical Center doctor and attorney at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. Many people think lead exposure is a problem of the past. Yet, 444 children between 9 months to less than 4 years of age were lead poisoned across the state in 2021, according to a Massachusetts Department of Public Health report. Another 1,836 children had elevated blood lead levels at the CDC's previous reference value for triggering intervention.

• MAY 17, 2023. CBS NEW YORK. New York City Council considering new lead paint laws with thousands of kids still showing unsafe lead levels every year. "Nearly 20 years ago, New York City passed sweeping legislation and laid out a goal of eradicating childhood lead poisoning here by 2010. Now, with thousands of New York City kids still showing unsafe lead levels per year, City Council is considering a new package of laws. Some advocates and parents tell CBS2 investigator Tim McNicholas the current laws have fallen short."

• May 18, 2023. Chicago Tribune. Broderick Hollins: Stateville prison’s tap water gave me severe lead poisoning. My friends are still drinking it. "At my first health checkup in February 2022, after serving nearly 13 years in prison, the doctor told me I had lead poisoning. And not a mild case. I had lead running through my veins at levels that required urgent treatment (83 micrograms per deciliter.) Lead levels higher than 10 micrograms per deciliter can cause constipation, nausea, headaches, nosebleeds and vomiting; I was experiencing all of these symptoms and more."

April 2023

• April 3, 2023: Cleveland Documenters Cleveland City Council. “ '... tonight I’m here as a private, angry citizen.' Pollard pressed city officials on the city’s efforts to address the lead-poisoning crisis, noting that a majority of rental properties are not certified as lead-safe. 'I can’t think of any topic on any agenda for any city that’s more prioritized than ensuring the children who live in our city have safe homes to grow up in.' ” Thanks, Mario, for continuing the struggle. Thanks Chantal for sharing the story.

• Apr. 10, 2023. Cleveland.com. Bibb, in last big round of ARPA spending, unveils $160 million for job creation, violence prevention, infrastructure, more. "Mayor Justin Bibb’s largest and likely last major round of stimulus spending calls for massive investments intended to bring more jobs and homeownership to Cleveland, quell violence, fix up roads and parks throughout the city, transform the waterfront, and boost the prospects of southeast neighborhoods. The first part of the sweeping $160 million plan, set to be introduced to City Council next week, entails $30 million in American Rescue Plan Act money for infrastructure upgrades, $50 million to assemble land and clean up brownfields to help attract new businesses that offer good-paying jobs, and $15 million for violence-prevention programs. Meanwhile, during a Monday City Council caucus meeting, President Blaine Griffin presented his own set of spending plans for the city’s remaining stimulus money. Some ideas overlap with Bibb’s, but there are several differences. Griffin’s $135 million proposal includes down payment assistance, development incentives for underserved neighborhoods, neighborhood-specific projects, funding the Cleveland Tenants Organization, money to help stabilize middle neighborhoods, home rehabilitation, utility payment assistance and more."  But no mention of lead safety, code enforcement, increased child testing, or funding for relocation!

• April 14, 2023. WOSU News. Amid a high infant mortality rate, Ohio researchers look beyond healthcare. With the report's focus on socio-economic disadvantage, did anyone think to look at the role of pre-natal lead exposure in a state where the rate of childhood lead poisoning is more than double the national average? Huh, didja?

• April 12, 2023. Press Release. Toledo’s Department of Housing and Community Development and Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity Announce Home Rescue Achievements "The City of Toledo’s Department of Housing and Community Development and Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity (MVHFH) are excited to announce the success of the Home Rescue program, a multi-year partnership that leveraged both private and public funding, for critical home repairs in distressed neighborhoods. The first 10 projects started in Junction two years ago, and just a short two years later, 55 homes have since been rehabbed with a total investment of over $3.5 Million dollars in Toledo neighborhoods. This has been a remarkable achievement. The Home Rescue program is the City of Toledo’s owner-occupied rehab program that is administered by Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity. The program brings a home up to current code standards and abates all lead for qualifying homeowners. The average cost of each project is $65,000 and the scope of work typically includes roof replacement, window replacement, siding, and upgraded electrical and/or plumbing. In some cases, where funding was available, aging in place modifications like walk in showers were completed."

• April 11, 2023. Camden County. State to Offer Free Repairs through Lead Safe Program. "The state of New Jersey is now offering free lead paint identification and remediation to all Camden County homeowners, renters and landlords through the Saint Joseph’s Carpenter Society Lead Safe program. This is the latest in a series of state allocations meant to fight a child’s exposure to lead paint chips and remove other lead-based elements in aging Camden County homes. The state has allocated millions of dollars to this cause ever since a federal ban on lead was put into place more than 35 years ago." A little advocacy can go a long way!

• April 12, 2023. Press Release. NJ Health Department Lead Report Shows Increase in Screenings in Children Following COVID-19 Disruptions. "NJDOH continues to strengthen blood lead screening and surveillance by raising awareness of New Jersey’s universal blood lead screening law and supporting public health partners. In SFY 2021, NJDOH continued its #kNOwLEAD prevention campaign to increase awareness of all lead hazards in homes, schools and on the job, and to educate parents on what they can do to prevent exposure and encourage them to have their children tested. The Department continues to work with regional partners to provide education events and webinars, including American Academy of Pediatrics members, to increase screening. NJDOH’s Childhood Lead Program also has transitioned to a new database to allow for more robust data surveillance." CLASH will be kicking off an academic study of the barriers to child lead testing in Ohio later this month.

• Apr 11, 2023/ DOH NEWS RELEASE. FREE LEAD TESTING STATION AT WAIMĀNALO BEACH PARK FOR EARTH DAY CLEANUP FESTIVAL. "HONOLULU, HI – The Hawai‘i State Department of Health (DOH), Hawaiʻi Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program will host free lead testing at the Earth Day Cleanup Festival on Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Waimānalo Beach Park. Those interested can visit DOH’s lead testing station with soil, as well as toys, jewelry, dishes, or other items that may contain lead. Finger-prick lead testing for keiki will also be available for free."

• April 11, 2023. Times-Union Online. Health Dept. To Offer Lead Testing For Children At Clinic. "As of Jan. 1, Indiana law requires that all Indiana healthcare providers determine whether children under age 6 have been tested for lead poisoning and to offer the screening. Tuesday, Kosciusko County Health Department Administrator Bob Weaver asked the county commissioners for permission to apply for a $41,000 Health Issues & Challenges Grant. The grant comes from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The purpose of the grant is for the county health department to begin a lead-testing program in its clinic. The money will be used for equipment and possibly a part-time nurse to do the lead testing."

• Apr 12, 2023. The Valley Breeze.  Leaders gather in North Providence to highlight lead replacement efforts. "NORTH PROVIDENCE – State Senate President Dominick Ruggerio joined U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, Gov. Dan McKee, North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi, and other state and local leaders in North Providence on April 4 to highlight progress made toward replacement of all lead pipes in Rhode Island’s water supply, and to support the General Assembly’s passage of the Lead Poisoning Prevention Act to build on that momentum. North Providence was chosen because the town has been on the forefront of lead pipe replacement efforts, using more than $200,000 from the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank to conduct a new round of work." When was the last time you saw an Ohio politician at a lead safety event?

• April 11, 2023. NPR Illinois. Free soil testing for lead in Springfield. "Yards in older neighborhoods, especially those on major thoroughfares, are more likely to have lead contamination. The major sources in yards and gardens are from leaded gasoline and lead paint. It can exist in soil for decades and can result in lead poisoning. A soil test will reveal if you have a high lead level on your property. You can bring your soil samples to Enos Park, 1000 N. 7th Street, on Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Enos Park Neighborhood Gardens and City of Springfield are teaming up to provide screenings."

• Apr 13, 2023. Winchester Star. Open Forum: Childhood lead poisoning risk is serious, but preventable. "Lead is an extremely toxic metal, and if you are reading this, your family’s risk for exposure to lead is among the highest in the state. According to a recent assessment by the Virginia Department of Health, the risk for exposure to lead is dangerously high in the northwestern region. Families with young children living in the city of Winchester, and Rappahannock, Page and Shenandoah counties are among those at highest risk for the negative impacts of lead exposure."

• APRIL 13, 2023. Florida Phoenix. Surprise! Florida leads the nation in lead pipes carrying water supply. "EPA survey points out hidden danger that state hasn’t bothered to track. A new survey by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that Florida has more lead pipes delivering water to its millions of households than any other state — even more than industrial ones, such as Ohio and Pennsylvania. Developers may be responsible for Florida’s high number of lead water feeds."

• April 13, 2023. Business Insurance. Appeals court reverses, rules against Zurich in lead pollution case. "A federal appeals court on Wednesday reversed a lower court decision and ruled in favor of Fluor Corp. in coverage litigation with Zurich Insurance Inc., in a divided opinion. Zurich American Insurance Co. insured St. Joe Minerals Corp. and its sole shareholder, Fluor Corp., an Irving, Texas-based engineering and construction company, from 1981 to 1985, according to Thursday’s ruling by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis. St. Joe operated a lead smelting plant in Herculaneum, Missouri, whose residents sued Fluor and St. Joe in the early 2000s, alleging they had been injured by the plant’s release of lead and other toxins, the decision said." This could be an important decision for toxic emitters.

• Apr. 14, 2023. NJ.com. More N.J. kids are suffering severe lead poisoning. Experts think they know why. "The New Jersey Department of Health’s annual Childhood Lead Exposure report revealed a drop in elevated BLLs between 2018 and 2021 among children under 6, according to a health department statement. Only 3,000 kids under 6 had elevated BLLs in 2021, according to the report. But before the COVID-19 pandemic, three cases a year involving BLLs requiring hospitalization were normally reported. In 2021, the state found 15 kids in the age group. The pandemic was likely a contributing factor as lead exposure usually occurs in the home, and people spent more time there during the crisis."

• April 14, 2023. Capital News Service. Bill proposes universal mandatory lead poisoning testing for Michigan’s children. "A little more than 14% of Michigan 6 year olds were tested for lead poisoning in 2021. Health advocates say all of them should be. Of those tested, 3.5% had elevated levels of the contaminant that causes developmental problems in children. According to state health authorities the effects of lead poisoning in children may take the form of: lower IQ scores, decreased academic performance, increased problems relating to behavior and attention related disorders, decreased hearing ability and decreased kidney function. Sen. John Cherry, D-Flint, is sponsoring legislation to make it mandatory for children to be tested once between 9 and 12 months of age and again at ages 2 to 3."

• 04/14/2023. Press Release. Fresh Air or Lead Dust? "The Chautauqua County Health Department is urging people to protect children from the hazard of lead paint. You may be anxious to open the windows and get some fresh spring air, but before you do, Chautauqua County Health Department’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Team suggests using caution. 'Opening and closing old windows can create nearly invisible lead paint dust' explains Lead and Healthy Homes Program Coordinator Anna Powell, 'and it takes just a tiny bit of this dust to potentially poison a young child.' In a typical year, about 80-85 children in Chautauqua County test positive for unsafe levels of lead in their bloodstream.  Old windows are one of the most common places kids are exposed to lead."

• April 14th 2023. WPMI Researchers offering free lead soil level testing in Africatown. For decades people living in Africatown say they’ve had to suffer in silence. Researchers found toxins like lead in the soil and trees, putting people who live on that land at risk. We first investigated this story in 2021. Researchers say the problem still exists as the community is on the verge of opening a pair of cultural tourism attractions. After community members say their cries for help were ignored. They're taking matters into their own hands."

• April 15th, 2023. Racine County Eye. Letter to the Editor: Racine Interfaith Coalition launches Environmental Justice Task Force. "The Racine Interfaith Coalition (RIC) recently launched a new task force to deal with environmental justice issues. One of the concerns being pursued by the new task force is that of lead poisoning that affects the youngest of our city’s residents. Children under age three are especially impacted by the lead paint found in many homes built before 1978 and in the water they drink coming into their homes through lead water pipes. Sad to say, next to Milwaukee, Racine has the largest number of cases of lead poisoning in children in the State. Lead poisoning causes permanent damage as children develop, leading to lower IQ, hyperactivity, behavior and learning problems and slowed growth."

March 2023

• March 18, 2023. WaPo. Plant explosion leaves town with fear of lead exposure and few answers. "CLASH struggled to get timely answers from the Ohio EPA about whether the agency was looking for lead contamination and what the preliminary findings were, according to messages reviewed by The Washington Post. Hall, who used to work for the Cleveland Health Department, said there are protocols for jumping to action after a disaster and she remains critical of Ohio EPA for not treating the Oakwood Village explosion as such." Thanks to Kim Bellware for her diligent reporting. This is the opposite of press release journalism and Kim was tireless in seeking out all perspectives.

• March 14, 2023. Cleveland launched a massive initiative three years ago to tackle the city’s lead problem. "Here’s how it’s going. More than $111 million and a new law aim to make older houses lead-safe. But progress is slow. [...] Over the next year, Signal Cleveland will be taking a closer look at the city’s progress toward reducing lead-poisoning cases and ensuring property owners comply with the 2019 lead law. We also want to hear from Cleveland residents and property owners about their experiences since the law was passed. To share your stories, tips or concerns, contact Signal Cleveland Health Reporter Candice Wilder at candice@signalcleveland.org. 

• Mar 14, 2023. WEWS News Channel 5. Nonprofit gives away hundreds of water filters to help combat lead in Cleveland. "Between homes, rentals and infrastructure, correcting Cleveland’s lead problem is no easy fix. Reports show the city has lead-poisoning rates nearly four times the national average. In a parking lot in Shaker Square, a crowd quickly gathered as Tanis Quach, founder of the grassroots nonprofit Undivided Cleveland, handed out hundreds of free water filters. 'This is a scratch on the surface of what we want to do,' Quach said. 'When a child gets lead poisoning, the likelihood of them excelling academically drastically diminishes.' " Last month, News 5 reported how four out of every five rentals still are not deemed lead-safe. It's an issue that still bothers Erika Jarvis, thirty years after she first dealt with her own case of lead poisoning. 'This is a 40-50 year problem that we’ve been dealing with,' she said. 'I had a lot of behavioral issues, I had to take speech therapy, just a lot of different things and sometimes parents feel a lot of regret about having their children poisoned by lead and it’s their fault and it reality isn't.' " CLASH's Erika was ready when Channel 5 called. Are there other lead poisoning survivors ready to share their stories?

• The Housing Center seeks your input. "We want to gain insight directly from the community on how the Black and Latinx Community Reinvestment Fund will be most impactful to some of the hardest hit neighborhoods within our community and where funds may help to fill program and service gaps for future programming. The Fair Housing Center has received $755,000 from the settlement for reinvestment in Black and Latinx communities within Cuyahoga County." Take the Survey here. "In addition to gathering community insight from the survey, the Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research will also be hosting several listening sessions to allow community members to share their input on the Black and Latinx Community Reinvestment Fund. Visit www.thehousingcenter.org/events to learn more and register to attend a listening session. Hint: If Lead Safety housing, child testing, support for lead survivor households, lead free schools, or lead safe redevelopment is a priority for you, make your voices heard. Thanks DianeC for sharing this info.

• February 2023. USPIRG Get the Lead Out:  Grading the states on protecting kids’ drinking water at school. "Ohio Grade: F (21/200 points) "Ohio has no state laws or regulatory requirements to address lead in schools’ drinking water. Until 2018, the state did have a voluntary testing program which tested taps at 14 percent of schools (658 out of 4,652) in the state. Remediation was limited to outlets testing above 15 ppb." Thanks MollyG for sharing.

• Mar 11, 2023 Times Argus. Bjerke: New lead paint rules, "Vermont’s new lead paint rules will drive workforce housing rents higher. In Gov. Phil Scott’s 2023 Inaugural Address to the Legislature, he made the case that, if Vermont were to regulate solutions to our problems, we should endeavor to pursue 'Smart' regulation. His Health Department has just imposed new regulations concerning lead paint that are not smart at all, not even close."

• Mar. 16, 2023. Mlive. Racial discrimination, negligence led to lead poisoning of 3 kids, lawsuit alleges "A Kalamazoo family is suing a nonprofit and the city, as the water in their rental unit allegedly poisoned three children with lead. A family was left homeless and three children were poisoned by lead in a Kalamazoo rental home while the leasing company did nothing to help, a federal lawsuit alleges. Affordable housing nonprofit Open Doors Kalamazoo, the city of Kalamazoo and City Manager James Ritsema are named as defendants in a lawsuit filed March 15 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan."

• MAR 16, 2023. The Post Journal. Housing Committee Discusses Lead Poisoning Prevention. "With roughly 60 children being tested for elevated lead levels each year in Jamestown, the City Council Housing Committee is hoping to raise awareness for the issue so that local residents can take preventative measures against lead poisoning."

• March 18, 2023.WAER. Lawmakers focus on McMahon's lead policies, Micron plans. "At his State of the County speech on Wednesday, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon outlined many of his priorities for 2023, including the addition of enrichment services for children with elevated blood lead levels, on top of the ongoing testing and abatement efforts."

• March 13, 2023. Wilmington StarNews (North Carolina). Parents advised to get kids tested after possible lead poisoning at one New Hanover school "Parents and families of students at the International School at Gregory are being advised to have their students' blood tested after a state inspection found multiple possible lead poisoning hazards inside the school. Officials found three areas around the school that tested above the state standard during an inspection on Jan. 24, according to a press release issued by New Hanover County Schools on Monday afternoon."

• Cleveland Lead Safe Advisory Board Meeting Mar 09, 2023 1:00 pm. Cleveland City Hall, Room 509, 601 Lakeside Ave. The Lead Safe Advisory Board, made up of seven members (six appointed by the mayor and one member of Council Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer) will meet both in person or can be streamed live on WebEx or the public can listen through calling-in. The meeting link is: https://cityclevelandoh.webex.com/cityclevelandoh/j.php?MTID=m5edc6dbaf520a6681fe343fcb0d517ea

• Feb. 27, 2023. Cleveland.com. Cause of Oakwood plant explosion remains under investigation; criminal act ruled out. Still no mention of possible lead contamination.

• Mar 3, 2023. Cleveland Scene. Ohio Gets an "F" for Failing to Address Lead in School Water. "Ohio kids are in danger of lead exposure and the state isn't doing enough to stop it, a new report says. What's in those pipes? A new report suggests Ohio schools don't know. Lead is toxic, and a report shows that Ohio is failing to protect kids from it. Released by U.S. Public Interest Research Group and Environment America Research and Policy Center, "Get the Lead Out" grades each state (and Washington, D.C.) on how they're handling lead in drinking water in schools. Ohio is one of 27 states that earned an “F,” with a score of just 21 out of 200 possible points based on testing, lead limit in water, public disclosure, applicability of requirements and solutions." Thanks Darrick for sharing this story.

• Feb. 28, 2023. WTVG. City of Toledo announces updates to lead-safe paint certification. "According to city officials, the city passed an ordinance that requires all one to four unit residential rental properties and family childcare homes built prior to 1978 to receive a Lead-Safe Certificate from the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department.According to city officials, the city passed an ordinance that requires all one to four unit residential rental properties and family childcare homes built prior to 1978 to receive a Lead-Safe Certificate from the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department. To receive the certificate, a property must meet the state requirement of being registered with the county auditor. In addition, a property must pass a qualifying lead-safe inspection by certain phase-in deadlines. The first phase deadline for compliance is March 31.

• EPA's 3Ts - Training, Testing, and Taking Action - Here you will find information and recommendations to prepare schools, child care facilities, and states to build a voluntary implementation program to reduce lead levels in drinking water.

• EPA Region 9 grantee the Community Development Institute (CDI) is hosting FREE virtual training sessions Wednesday, March 28 at 12:00 pm PT and Thursday, March 29 at 10:00 am PT. The sessions will share information about the importance of environmental and facility health in early care and education. CDI will share useful assessment tools that help to identify potential facility concerns, increases awareness of environmental exposures, and provides useful resources to address identified concerns. A recorded version of this training is available on the website for the assessment tools.

• What are soilSHOP Events? Soil Screening, Health, Outreach, and Partnership (soilSHOP) events provide community members with free lead screening of soil gathered from their gardens or outdoor play area(s). Through soilSHOPs, ATSDR and partner organizations provide health education and outreach to help people learn if their soil is contaminated and how to reduce exposures.

• 03/02/23. The Hill. Rubio reintroduces affordable housing bills to tackle housing issues. "Among the seven bills Rubio reintroduced is the Keep Children and Families Safe from Lead Hazards Act, first introduced in September 2021, which would direct HUD to identify and remediate exposure to lead hazards in Section 8 housing programs. Rep. John Rutherford (R-Fla.) is set to introduce companion legislation in the House."

• February 25, 2023. CentralMaine.com. Commentary: Efforts to protect Maine children from lead poisoning are working. "...it was welcome news last week when the Maine Centers for Disease Control released new data showing that between 2010 and 2020, Maine’s childhood lead poisoning rates were cut in half, from 4% of children tested to 2%, the largest share of that reduction in Lewiston and Auburn. During the same time period, the rate of children tested grew – from 50% to 60% for 1-year-olds, and from 30% to 45% for 2-year-olds.  These achievements were not happenstance. Reducing the prevalence of lead poisoning in a state with some of the country’s oldest housing stock has taken the coordinated efforts of many, including federal and state officials, municipalities, nonprofit organizations, building owners, medical providers and parents. Through our own involvement, we at the John T. Gorman Foundation were fortunate to witness these collective efforts firsthand. At the state level, housing advocates and legislators worked with the CDC to strengthen protections for children. A law passed in 2015 lowered the amount of lead present in a child’s blood – from 15 micrograms per deciliter to 5 – that would trigger an intervention by the CDC. A second law passed in 2019 required lead testing for all of Maine’s 1- and 2-year-olds." if these results hold up, this is pretty amazing, more testing at lower levels and a reduction in lead exposure.

• February 28, 2023. Press Release. United States Enters Into Consent Decrees With Principals Of CISNE NY Construction, Inc. For Violating Lead Paint Safety Rules "Defendants Admit Violations and Agree to Injunctive Relief and to Pay Civil Penalties Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Lisa F. Garcia, the Regional Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), announced today that the United States entered into Consent Decrees settling a civil lawsuit against the principals of CISNE NY CONSTRUCTION, INC. (“CISNE”) — EDISON RUILOVA and JOSE PACCHA — for violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act (“TSCA”) and EPA’s Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule (“RRP Rule”).  Defendants violated provisions of TSCA and the RRP Rule that protect public health by reducing the risk of lead poisoning during renovations in residential buildings that may contain lead paint. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: 'CISNE NY Construction, Inc. put the public health at risk by failing to abide by lead-safe work practices during renovations of residential buildings.  These consent decrees will help ensure that CISNE NY’s principals abide by safety standards moving forward and send a message that companies and the individuals that run them cannot prioritize profits over complying with health and safety regulations.' ”

• February 27, 2023. Michigan Radio. Michigan must ensure there's no lead in school drinking water, report finds. "Michigan has earned a failing grade for its efforts to combat lead contamination in school drinking water, according to a new national report. “Nearly a decade after the advent of the Flint water crisis, Michigan still has no law or regulation to stop lead contamination of schools’ drinking water,” conclude the report’s authors, with the Environment America Research & Policy Center and the U.S. Public Research Interest Group Education Fund.

•  March 2, 2023. Missouri House bill seeks to eliminate mandatory childhood lead testing. "Doctors would no longer be required to test young children living in high-risk areas for lead poisoning under a Missouri House bill heard in committee Tuesday. But supporters of the bill, including the Missouri chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, say the legislation would increase access to lead testing and education, and streamline requirements for doctors in Missouri. 'We all want unleaded children,' Rep. Kent Haden, R-Mexico, said in a House Children and Families Committee hearing Tuesday. He said the bill would make lead poisoning prevention 'less obtrusive' while still accomplishing the goal of reducing lead poisoning." more here Missouri bill eliminates mandatory childhood lead testing in hopes of increasing access  Ass-tounding  

• Mar 1, 2023 Kaiser Health News. Schools struggle with lead in water while awaiting federal relief. "PHILIPSBURG, Mont. — On a recent day in this 19th-century mining town turned tourist hot spot, students made their way into the Granite High School lobby and past a new filtered water bottle fill station. Water samples taken from the drinking fountain the station replaced had a lead concentration of 10 parts per billion — twice Montana’s legal limit for schools of 5 parts per billion for the toxic metal. Thomas Gates, the principal and superintendent of the small Philipsburg School District, worries the new faucets, sinks, and filters the district installed for roughly 30 water sources are temporary fixes. The high school, built in 1912, is likely laced with aged pipes and other infrastructure, like so much of this historic town. 'If we change faucets or whatever, lead is still getting pushed in,'Gates said."

• Mar 3, 2023. WWLP. Report finds HUD needs to improve lead monitoring in public housing. "A new report says that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) processes for monitoring elevated blood lead levels and lead-based paint hazards in public housing needs improvement. The Office of the Inspector General for HUD conducted an evaluation of the agency’s protocols for addressing cases of elevated blood lead levels (EBLL) in children living in public housing, and find out how well the EBLL tracker and the Lead-Based Paint Response (LBPR) tracker are in providing accurate and complete data." Here's a link to the report 

February 2023

• February 13, 2023. WEWS Four years into Cleveland's decade-long quest to become 'lead-safe,' leaders say work needs to ramp up. "About 80% of city's rental units still need lead-safe certification. [   ] For Charrell Reed of Cleveland, this mission is a long time coming. He and his sister suffered from lead poisoning when they were little in the mid ’90s. He’s 29 years old now. 'The lead messes with your organs, it messes with your brain, it messes with a lot," he said. Charrell Reed and his son, Charrell Reed Jr, who both have been diagnosed as children with lead poisoning in Cleveland. Among those diagnosed with lead poisoning in recent years is Charrell Reed’s son, who was just a toddler when he tested positive. 'It’s like you just traveled through a time machine and you’re seeing the same thing not get addressed,' Reed said. 'My children mean the world. We have to show them something right so we can have great children and educated children coming up in the world.' "

• Feb. 15, 2023. Cleveland.com. Cleveland has tried the ‘carrot’ approach to get landlords to deal with lead; now it’s time for ‘the stick’: Editorial. "Cleveland’s efforts to rid rental housing of toxic lead that poisons residents and hinders child development is nearing a critical juncture. The last two years, the city and the Lead Safe Coalition have worked to encourage, cajole and provide financial assistance to landlords to get lead at their properties cleaned up and inspected for lead safe certification. The city was separated into eight areas with rolling deadlines to show they were moving toward compliance. March 31 is the hard deadline under Cleveland’s landmark lead law for landlords to get properties certified as lead safe. Remediation and certification efforts have mostly relied on the 'carrot' approach so far. The time has arrived to use 'the stick.' 

• Feb 12, 2023. Hartford Courant. William Tong: Strengthen regulation of leaded aviation gas to help protect children. "Recently, I joined a coalition of 12 state attorneys general supporting the EPA’s latest efforts to strengthen regulation of leaded aviation gas. Leaded aviation gas (avgas) from piston-engine planes is the single worst contributor of airborne lead emissions in the United States and is the only remaining lead-containing transportation fuel. Piston-engines power smaller aircraft that fly relatively short distances and use smaller general aviation airports. There are more than 200,000 registered piston-engine aircraft in the country today. These planes released more than 930,000 pounds of lead in 2017 and are responsible for nearly three-quarters of total lead emissions nationwide." 

• February 14, 2023. Wisconsin Public Radio. Milwaukee mom fighting lead poisoning is State of the Union guest. "Deanna Branch says her son, Aidan, was twice hospitalized for lead poisoning in their Milwaukee home. Her advocacy to protect children from lead resulted in a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris and attendance at President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol."

• February 13, 2023. Maine Public. Child lead poisoning rates have dropped by half in the last decade, according to new Maine data. "New state data shows that over the past decade, childhood lead poisoning rates have been cut roughly in half, from 4% of children tested to 2%. And testing rates have increased since the passage of a 2019 state law that requires universal testing. The manager of the Maine CDC's childhood lead poisoning prevention program, Karyn Butts, says testing of one-year-olds has grown from roughly 50% to more than 60%. Testing for two-year-olds increased from 30% to 45%."

• February 13, 2023. The Tribune. New legislation requires health care providers to offer lead testing to children. "The Indiana Department of Health released House Enrolled Act 1313, which requires all health care providers serving children to offer lead testing for kids under the age of 6. This statewide legislation went into effect Jan. 1, and the department created a public awareness campaign called Indiana Lead Free to bring awareness to the importance of testing. According to the Indiana Lead Free website, the biggest risk of lead exposure in Indiana and for children is through lead-based paint. Homes built before 1980, which make up 57% of Indiana’s housing, most likely contain lead-based paint."

• Feb 12, 2023. Union Leader. DHHS: NH children’s lead testing rates lowest since 2017 "The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health Services, has identified some concerning trends regarding lead-level testing in young children as presented in the 2021 Lead Exposure in New Hampshire Data Brief. The annual brief shows that between 2019 to 2021, there was a 25% decrease in the rate of children who were lead-tested at the required ages of 1 and 2, likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic."

• February 13, 2023. Cureus. Asymptomatic Lead Poisoning in a Pediatric Patient "Lead poisoning is a harmful condition, potentially resulting in irreversible impairments in neurocognition and behavioral development in the pediatric population. Rarely, life-threatening complications may ensue. We report a case of an asymptomatic four-year-old patient presenting with elevated lead levels (74.7 µg/dL) detected on routine blood lead screening at a well-child examination. The patient has a history significant for atopic disease, namely atopic dermatitis, seasonal allergic rhinitis, and food allergies. Overall, the asymptomatic nature of lead poisoning warrants judicious screening in the pediatric population due to the potential for neurologic complications."

• February 15, 2023. New Bedford Light. Undocumented immigrants fall through the cracks with child lead poisoning. "Doctors see higher level of immigrant children with elevated lead levels; advocates say immigrants are reluctant to report lead paint problems for fear of deportation. When children are poisoned by lead paint, the state has systems in place to help. But those resources are often out of reach for children in families of undocumented immigrants. The parents fear that allowing a lead inspector into their home could lead to deportation. Their landlords have little incentive to remove the hazard. And funding programs for lead paint removal require documentation that they don’t have. 'They don’t trust anything that has to do with officials,' said Helena DaSilva Hughes, director of New Bedford’s Immigrants Assistance Center. 'They’re afraid that it’s going to expose their immigration status.' ”

• Feb. 17, 2023. Spectrum News. Lewiston lawmaker wants $1 million a year for Maine lead abatement program "A Lewiston lawmaker is hoping a steady infusion of cash to help pay for lead abatement in older homes will better protect more Maine children. Rep. Kristen Cloutier (D-Lewiston) is sponsoring a bill to give MaineHousing $1 million a year in an ongoing appropriation for the state’s lead abatement program."

• FEBRUARY 17, 2023. WFYI. Bill aims to protect kids in preschool, day care from lead in drinking water. "Unlike schools, preschools and daycare centers like Little Tid Bit Daycare in Bloomington...aren't required to test their drinking water for lead. This bill would change that.A state House bill, HB 1138, would require preschools and day care centers to test for lead and take action if lead levels are too high — likely by replacing faucets and other lead fixtures in the building. The one exception would be child care run by a church — which was amended out of the bill by Rep. Alan Morrison (R-Brazil). "not required" until the children in their safe keeping come down with elevated blood lead levels.

January 2023 News

• DEC 27, 2022. Toledo Blade. Toledo property owners push back on proposal calling for lead-safe certification. "Pattrick Przysiecki’s four-unit rental property was built in 1958, well before a proposed lead-law ordinance stipulates that such property be registered with the county auditor and inspected and certified lead-safe.Thus far, the property is registered, but the lead inspection hasn’t happened, and Mr. Przysiecki is waiting for advice from the city leaders before moving forward on that directive even though he believes it is a broad overreach."

• DEC 27, 2022. Times Observer. Our opinion: Lead testing needs to happen. " 'Research demonstrates that universal lead testing is a practical and effective protective measure to reduce instances of lead poisoning. Accordingly, the legislation seeks to ensure that all children receive at least one test by age two, and all children and pregnant women with known, demonstrated risk factors as identified by health care professionals,' [Senator] Baker wrote in her co-sponsorship memorandum."

• December 29, 2022. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ʻThe power is in numbersʼ: How Milwaukeeʼs Richard Diaz advocates for environmental justice. "Richard Diaz, founding member of the Coalition on Lead Emergency (COLE) is shown Thursday, December 8, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wis. He was recently awarded the 2022 Environmental Hero award for his work on preventing lead poisoning. Richard Diaz, who once wanted to improve the health of those in his communities by becoming a doctor, was recognized with an Environmental Hero award in December from the Sierra Club for his work as a community organizer doing the same work. The title is especially fitting for Diaz, who said he was inspired as a boy by the television heroes of his day, the Power Rangers. 'I just felt so moved by seeing superheroes save the day and overcome adversity and be relentless in the fight.' ”

• Dec 30, 2022. wrtv.com, State law requiring lead checks in children begins January 1.  "INDIANAPOLIS — Beginning Jan. 1, 2023, House Enrolled Act 1313 requires that all Indiana healthcare providers determine whether children under age 6 have been tested for lead poisoning and to offer the screening. With the new law going into effect, the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) is asking parents to know and ask their child’s provider about testing for lead." Emphasis added by CLASH. More here: IDOH urges parents to get kids tested for lead. CLASH says: The IDOH Press Release is a model for what Ohio should be doing!

• January 9, 2023. Insurance Journal. Georgia Has Funds for Testing Lead in Water But Few Schools. "Lead exposure can have serious health consequences for children, but only a fraction of Georgia schools have signed up for a free testing program. Advocates worry school leaders are hesitant because of the cost and consequences of discovering lead in their water systems, which the state has not provided funding to address."

• January 11, 2023. The Daily Tar Heel. 'A big warning sign': UNC discovers lead in drinking water fixtures of 125 buildings. Memorial Hall and the Kenan Center recently joined 25 other buildings in having samples exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency’s threshold of 15 parts per billion that require water systems to take action. Drinking fountains in the Brinkhous-Bullitt Building, which houses UNC’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, have tested among the highest concentrations of lead on campus, with one sample detecting 1100 ppb — over 73 times higher than the EPA threshold." This study points up the issue of water fixtures, not just lead service lines. While the impact may be low on persons over 6 years of age, the UNC study suggests there are on-going lead risks even if a property was built after the 1978 cut off for lead paint exposure.

• January 10, 2023. WAER. Fight against lead poisoning in Syracuse gets $125K bump. "The Community Foundation is also funding a new role for the city of Syracuse. A case manager will track lead ordinance enforcement issues and remediation efforts. The efforts are part of the organization's LeadSafeCNY initiative, a pledge to invest $2 million over five years to reduce the high rates among children.A news release from the organization said it had so far contributed $1.97 million toward that goal."

• Jan. 11, 2023. U.S. News & World Report. Kids Living Near Airports Face Lead Poisoning Dangers. "While U.S. policymakers have attempted to lower lead exposure among children since the 1970s, new research finds that kids living near airports are still being exposed to dangerous levels of the heavy metal. [...] 'Across an ensemble of tests, we find consistent evidence that the blood lead levels of children residing near the airport are pushed upward by the deposition of leaded aviation gasoline,' said study author Sammy Zahran, associate chair of economics at Colorado State University in Fort Collins." CLASH notes that the photo of a jet plane is misleading; the risk is from aviation gas which is used in propeller aircraft. Will the Mayor and the Haslams be paying attention to the lead legacy of AvGas when they build apartments and businesses at Burke?

• Jan 11, 2023. CBS4Indy. New law highlights the need to test children for lead."In a separate initiative, there are 18 public library branches across Indianapolis that offer lead screening kits. It’s a partnership with the IUPUI Center for Urban Health. 'You may find out that you’re fine. You may just find out you have a couple things you need to work on,' said Jill Edwards, the program specialist for the Indianapolis Public Library. It’s free and easy to do. 'Stop in and let a library staff know that you’re here to pick up a lead kit. They have you fill out a quick consent form,” explained Edwards, “Then they bring the kit back and drop it off.  The kit ends up back with me and to IUPUI and within a couple of weeks they have their results in e-mail." The Indiana State Department of Health hopes with this new year, comes new awareness to lead poisoning and the importance of testing. At this time, it’s hard to determine the number of Indiana kids impacted, because not enough children are being tested. This law will change that

December News

• Dec. 06, 2022. Cleveland.com. Cleveland Water to replace lead service lines with $19M from bipartisan infrastructure law. "Cleveland Water is in line to receive roughly $19 million next year from the bipartisan infrastructure law to replace thousands of lead service lines throughout Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Local officials hope that money is just the beginning. They plan to seek similar sums from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for the next four years, as money from the infrastructure law continues to pour into the state."

• Nice overview of the war on Lead Poisoning. Lead Paint in American Housing - 50 Years of Peeling Away the Problem. 

• December 7th 2022. Fox 47. Study finds Morey Field not significant source of lead in children, some disagree. Nice detailed analysis of the problem of aviation gas. No definitive answers.

• DEC 6, 2022. Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Pa. senator to reintroduce measure to require universal lead testing for young children. "HARRISBURG — A new law intended to get more kids tested for lead exposure hasn’t even taken effect yet and Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Luzerne, the sponsor of the legislation, has already announced plans to strengthen the measure. Act 150, signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf on Nov. 3, requires that doctors should order blood tests for pregnant moms and young children if they determine that the women or children are at risk of lead exposure. In 2019, a state task force on lead exposure — created in response to revelations about lead in drinking water in Flint, Mich. — had recommended that the state implement universal blood testing for young children. 'This session, a stronger effort must be made to make lead testing available for all children. By the time a child shows signs of exposure to lead, serious damage may have already occurred,' Ms. Baker said in a co-sponsor memo."

• Dec 8, 2022. Coastal Point. Three IR schools test high for lead in water. DPH to send mobile lead-testing units to area schools. "Three schools in the Indian River School District (IRSD) system showed elevated levels of lead in the drinking water at kitchen prep sinks and at drinking water bottle fill stations, according to a Delaware Department of Public Health (DPH) report. The DPH indicated that 47 schools statewide showed high levels of the lead contaminant in drinking water. The George Carver Education Center, Long Neck Elementary School and Millsboro Middle School all have lead in their drinking and food preparation public water supply."

• December 9, 2022. EarthJustice. EPA to Reconsider Stronger Rules for Lead in Drinking Water. "WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed a court motion saying it will reassess revisions it made to the Lead and Copper Rule during the Trump administration, promising key improvements to the rule. The Lead and Copper rule, or LCR, regulates lead in drinking water. The EPA is asking for the remand in response to a challenge brought by Earthjustice, on behalf of civil rights and environmental groups. With this action, EPA is looking to move the issue out of the courts."

• December 9, 2022. Reuters. Michigan judge tosses charges against former governor in Flint water crisis. " A Michigan judge has dismissed charges against former Governor Rick Snyder in connection with the Flint water crisis, his attorney said on Friday, several months after the state Supreme Court ruled that grand jury indictments returned in the case were invalid. Genesee Circuit Judge F. Kay Behm dismissed the case against Snyder, his attorney Brian Lennon said in an email to Reuters. Snyder was governor in 2014, when under state-appointed managers the government of Flint, a majority-Black city, switched its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River to cut costs."

• December 15, 2022. "This week the General Assembly approved a historic $150 million dollar investment for lead poisoning prevention. The investment was made possible thanks to funding through the American Rescue Plan. The funding was appropriated to the Department of Development in two different batches. The first batch is to be used collaboratively with the Ohio Department of Health for an amount of not less than $20 million to be spent on lead poisoning prevention efforts that may include, but are not limited to, the following: lead-safe building certification, screening and testing for lead poisoning, education and community engagement, early intervention for children and families impacted by lead. The remaining funding is to be used by the Department of Development in order to create workforce development, training, and retention of lead contractors and to start a window and door replacement program for residential properties, congregate care setting, and childcare facilities constructed before 1978. Any funding not used by the end of state fiscal year 2023 will be reappropriated in state fiscal year 2024 for the same purposes. We thank the General Assembly for their dedication to a future where Ohio children are free from lead poisoning." Thanks to Timothy Johnson from Ohio Poverty Law Center for this summary.

• DEC 13, 2022. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Editorial: Make lead testing mandatory. "A law signed by Gov. Tom Wolf on Nov. 3 encourages doctors to test pregnant women, and children up to 2 years old, who they believe have been exposed to lead. Act 150 is a smart move, but it doesn’t go far enough. Lead is everywhere — especially in industrial regions with older housing, which means Pittsburgh and vast swaths of Pennsylvania. Sen. Lisa Baker, R.-Luzerne, wanted Act 150 to make testing mandatory, but it was watered down in the amendment process. Now she’s reintroducing a bill to switch “encourage” back to 'require,' making lead testing mandatory for all young children. This time, legislators should pass it as-is. "

• December 13, 2022. Sun Journal. Most water fixtures at Leeds Central School show lead levels exceeding state threshold. "GREENE — Maine School Administrative District 52 directors received an update Thursday on initial lead testing results from the remaining three district schools. Nearly three out of five of the 46 water sources tested at Leeds Central School were found to have lead levels at or above the state threshold of 4 parts per billion. At Leavitt Area High School and Tripp Middle School, both in Turner, about one in five water fixtures were at or above the same threshold."

• Dec 16, 2022. WBOC. Delaware Plans Second Round of Lead Testing in Schools. "Starting on Dec. 19, the Department of Education (DOE) will retest for elevated lead levels in schools' drinking water after the state identified mistakes in the last round of testing. The DOE received backlash from concerned parents earlier this year after delaying the release of lead testing results. Delaware's Secretary of Education, Mark Holidick, said 'We were not as timely as we should have been with our communications with our schools and our communities. Having been secretary for almost a year now and really looking at the big picture around all of this it just seems appropriate to me that we have a resampling across the entire state.' " 

• December 15, 2022. ProPublica via WKSU. Why the government fails to limit many dangerous chemicals in the workplace. "Another lawsuit, filed by the lead industry, left OSHA responsible for not just calculating the costs of complying with its standards but also demonstrating "a reasonable likelihood" that they would not threaten "the existence or competitive structure of an industry." CLASH hopes to be working with EPA around smokestack emissions of lead in 2023.

• DEC 22, 2022. Toledo Blade.Toledo families living in deteriorating homes face high risk of lead poisoning. "For the past decade the number of children exposed to lead poisoning in the city of Toledo continues to climb, experts said at a committee hearing Thursday to discuss residential rental properties and lead safety compliance. The number of children exposed to lead is staggering, said Marilynne Wood, a professor of nursing at the University of Toledo College of Nursing. Her comments came during the Toledo City Council Neighborhoods and Community Development Committee meeting on a proposed lead law, designed to address the issue of lead paint that exists in much of the aging housing stock in Toledo."

• Sun-Times December 20, 2022. High lead levels found in paint in Chicago Public Schools elementary building "High lead levels found in paint at Bridgeport elementary school. Parents and teachers at a Bridgeport elementary school say that Chicago Public Schools delayed for months testing that last week found high levels of lead in three rooms, including a special education classroom. Among the rooms tested at McClellan Elementary was one for middle school students who have cognitive or physical disabilities, including those deemed 'medically fragile.' A first-grade classroom and a counselor's office also tested positive for elevated lead levels. The special education classroom was beginning to show signs of paint chipping in October, according to teachers. They say they brought the matter to the principal, who reportedly was assured by CPS officials there was not a health threat. CPS, they said, did not act until teachers performed their own testing. Three cheers for parent and teacher whistle blowers.

• December 21, 2022. U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Indiana. Richmond Contractor Sentenced to over 1 Year for Violating Federal Lead Paint Laws and Obstructing Justice. Jeffrey Delucio, 54, of Richmond, Indiana, was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison for violating the Toxic Substance Control Act, specifically the provisions of the Act concerning lead paint renovations, and for obstructing justice by fabricating records to obstruct a federal grand jury. According to court documents, Delucio operated Aluminum Brothers Home Improvements in Richmond, Indiana, which received federal grant money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to mitigate lead paint hazards in older low-to-middle income homes. Lead-based paint is the leading cause of lead poisoning in children, which can result in permanent developmental and health problems. Because of lead’s toxicity, federal law requires contractors renovating homes with lead-based paint to take certain precautions while working to protect themselves and those living in and around the homes under construction."

• HUD invites Community Planning and Development (CPD) grantees, Public Housing Agencies (PHAs), Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs), multifamily housing property managers and their maintenance supervisors, and Office of Native American Programs (ONAP) grantees and their subgrantees/sub-recipients who administer PBA (Subpart H), public housing (Subpart L), and TBRA (Subpart M). to participate in trainings on the Lead Safe Housing Rule. See here for more info and registration. Slides and summaries from previous sessions on these topics can be found here.

DEC 27, 2022. Toledo Blade. Toledo property owners push back on proposal calling for lead-safe certification. "Pattrick Przysiecki’s four-unit rental property was built in 1958, well before a proposed lead-law ordinance stipulates that such property be registered with the county auditor and inspected and certified lead-safe.Thus far, the property is registered, but the lead inspection hasn’t happened, and Mr. Przysiecki is waiting for advice from the city leaders before moving forward on that directive even though he believes it is a broad overreach."

Around Us

• DEC 27, 2022. Times Observer. Our opinion: Lead testing needs to happen. " 'Research demonstrates that universal lead testing is a practical and effective protective measure to reduce instances of lead poisoning. Accordingly, the legislation seeks to ensure that all children receive at least one test by age two, and all children and pregnant women with known, demonstrated risk factors as identified by health care professionals,' [Senator] Baker wrote in her co-sponsorship memorandum."

• December 29, 2022. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ʻThe power is in numbersʼ: How Milwaukeeʼs Richard Diaz advocates for environmental justice. "Richard Diaz, founding member of the Coalition on Lead Emergency (COLE) is shown Thursday, December 8, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wis. He was recently awarded the 2022 Environmental Hero award for his work on preventing lead poisoning. Richard Diaz, who once wanted to improve the health of those in his communities by becoming a doctor, was recognized with an Environmental Hero award in December from the Sierra Club for his work as a community organizer doing the same work. The title is especially fitting for Diaz, who said he was inspired as a boy by the television heroes of his day, the Power Rangers. 'I just felt so moved by seeing superheroes save the day and overcome adversity and be relentless in the fight.' ”

• Dec 30, 2022. wrtv.com, State law requiring lead checks in children begins January 1.  "INDIANAPOLIS — Beginning Jan. 1, 2023, House Enrolled Act 1313 requires that all Indiana healthcare providers determine whether children under age 6 have been tested for lead poisoning and to offer the screening. With the new law going into effect, the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) is asking parents to know and ask their child’s provider about testing for lead." Emphasis added by CLASH. More here: IDOH urges parents to get kids tested for lead. CLASH says: The IDOH Press Release is a model for what Ohio should be doing!

November News

• Nov. 02, 2022. cleveland.com. Unraveling a ball of confusion over Cleveland lead-poisoning remediation: Spencer Wells. Unfortunately the piece is paywalled for subscribers. You can read the entire essay here. 

• Mark your calendars: Lead Safe Advisory Board Meeting will be held on November 10 at 1pm at City Hall Room 509. No link for online viewing has been published. For more information contact the City's Lead Czar Karen Dettmer. 

• November 5, 2022. Lima News Legal-Ease: Landlords, tenants and lead. "Over time, our society has come to recognize that lead can be incredibly harmful, especially to children who are exposed to high levels of lead over significant periods of time. Every landlord who is aware of lead-based paint or other lead-based items in houses or apartments to be rented must disclose that information to all potential and actual tenants.

• October 31, 2022.Utah Public Radio. Utah school drinking fountains now being tested to prevent potential lead poisoning. "House Bill 21, a bill calling for the elimination of all traces of lead in school drinking water, has been passed by the Utah Legislature. Sponsored by Representative Stephen Hardy and Senator Jani Iwamoto, the bipartisan legislation now requires the testing samples from water fountains in every school across Utah. Traces of lead in drinking water has been proven to cause nervous system damage and serious brain damage, especially when consumed by children.

• November 2, 2022. Rome Sentinel. MVHS receives award for its efforts to reduce lead poisoning. "MVHS and its partners promote lead hazard reduction services, educate target neighborhoods on the dangers of lead-based paint and environmental health hazards and engage the community in creating, accessing and maintaining healthier, lead safe and energy efficient housing. The initiative addresses the 'Promote healthy home and school environments' goal of the Prevention Agenda, New York’s plan to improve the health and well-being of all New Yorkers and to promote health equity in all populations who experience disparities."

• Nov 4, 2022. Philadelphia Inquirer. Lead poisoning rates have declined in Philadelphia, but children in low-income neighborhoods remain at greater risk. "Lead poisoning among children has declined in Philadelphia over the last decade, but families in Philadelphia’s poorest neighborhoods in the western and northern parts of the city still face a greater risk of exposure. Meanwhile, new federal guidelines for what is considered a concerning level of lead exposure for kids mean more Philadelphia families may need to make their homes safer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now considers a blood lead level of 3.5 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (μg/dL) a concern, down from a longtime standard of 5 μg/dL." FYI-CLASH has challenged proposed ODH rules which would undermine the new CDC standards.

• Nov 4, 2022. Philadelphia Inquirer. A new city dashboard shows progress, and unfinished work, addressing lead contamination in the city, "Unless they’ve been remediated, the majority of Philadelphia homes built in the 1970s or earlier have lead paint and lead pipes in them. Water from pipes that have sat unused can have lead in it, and chipping or peeling paint is a hazard. Philadelphia has seen improvement in the rates of children with poisoning since 2011, when the city mandated inspections of rental properties where children under 6 years old live. Since 2019, Philadelphia has been expanding the requirement and it took effect as of this year for all rental units."

• 4-Nov-2022. Newswise. Flint Water Crisis Affected Timing of Pediatric Lead Testing but Not Quantity, Study Finds. "Slusky’s new article titled 'Blood Lead Testing in Flint Before and After Water Contamination' reveals how, despite a highly publicized lead advisory, children in Flint, Michigan, who were enrolled in Medicaid received lead tests earlier but the proportion of Medicaid-eligible children who were tested did not change. His research advocates focusing on primary prevention to reduce lead exposure."

• Nov 5, 2022. Rutland Herald. RRMC Health Talk: Lead-safe work on your home. "Anyone who has had work done on their home knows renovation and repair work creates a big mess and a lot of dust. Dust from lead-based paint is the primary cause of lead poisoning in Vermont children. Since the majority of Vermont housing was built before 1978 — the year lead was banned from house paint — Vermont law requires workers to be trained and licensed to use lead-safe work practices when they work on homes built before 1978. There is no safe level of lead in the body. Lead is a highly toxic metal that can cause serious and permanent health problems, especially for babies, young children and pregnant people. Lead can slow down growth, impair development and learning, and cause behavior problems."

• Remembering Thomas Midgely, inventor of leaded gasoline (and more) on the 11/2 anniversary of his death in 1944. Wikipedia reports "In December 1921, while working under the direction of Charles Kettering at Dayton Research Laboratories, a subsidiary of General Motors, Midgley discovered...that the addition of tetraethyllead (TEL) to gasoline prevented 'knocking' in internal combustion engines.[6] The company named the substance 'Ethyl', avoiding all mention of lead in reports and advertising. Oil companies and automobile manufacturers, especially General Motors which owned the patent jointly filed by Kettering and Midgley, promoted the TEL additive as an inexpensive alternative superior to ethanol or ethanol-blended fuels, on which they could make very little profit. [...] In 1923, Midgley took a long vacation in Miami, Florida, to cure himself of lead poisoning. He found 'that my lungs have been affected and that it is necessary to drop all work and get a large supply of fresh air'."

• Is Speaker Merrin a potential threat to local lead laws? Nov. 23, 2022,, Cleveland.com. Ohio legislature could become even more conservative under House Speaker-elect Derek Merrin. Background: In 2017 Freshman State Rep Derek Merrin sponsored an amendment to the Ohio Budget that would have barred local governments from enacting laws to regulate lead hazard. Activists rallied to block that amendment in the Ohio Senate. Now Merrin is soon to be Speaker of the Ohio House. Here's Merrin in his own words opposing local legislation.  The Plain Dealer called Merrin's amendment "The amendment is a shameful, self-serving effort to keep children in unsafe housing just to save landlords a little money."

• NOV 25, 2022, The Blade. New proposal would send lead law violators to housing court. "City officials now want the Toledo Municipal Housing Court to hear alleged violations of Toledo’s lead-safety ordinance. The administration believes the change from an administrative hearing process will allow the law to withstand ongoing legal challenges that have prevented it from being enforced. Toledo has faced recurring legal challenges since 2016 while working to craft a law that requires owners of residential rentals with four or fewer dwellings and built before 1978 to inspect their properties for lead paint and obtain lead-safe certificates from the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department."

• November 23, 2022. Consumer Products Safety Commission. Bentex Recalls Children’s Clothing Sets Due to Violation of the Federal Lead Paint and Lead Content Ban; Lead Poisoning Hazard

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Lead is linked to low school test scores. A new study suggests segregation makes it worse. "A new study suggests residential segregation makes the situation worse, possibly contributing to educational achievement gaps in cities like Milwaukee. A researcher at Duke University looked at the test scores of more than 25,000 North Carolina fourth-graders and found lead-poisoned children with low academic test scores perform even worse if they live in a highly segregated area. Lead is a neurotoxin that is especially harmful to developing brains, causing IQ deficits, calcium deficiencies, behavioral problems and poor impulse control, among other problems."

October Lead Safety News

• Oct. 24, 2022. Cleveland.com. Predatory investing’ is obstructing efforts to improve housing in Cleveland: Stimulus Watch. "While the problem isn’t limited to out-of-state companies, they are over-represented in Cuyahoga County on the Ohio Department of Health’s list of Lead Hazardous Properties, compared to housing sales overall. A property’s appearance on the list means it is deemed uninhabitable, and it is illegal to live there. In 2020, 21% of 1-3 family homes sold were bought by investors, according to a report from the Vacant and Abandoned Property Action Council, or VAPAC. Of all properties on the health department’s lead list with known owners, 31% were companies. Of the company-owned properties, 39% had out-of-state ties, according to a cleveland.com analysis of data from the health department, property ownership records and state corporate registry information. CLASH recommends civil nuisance enforcement in order to fix'm up or tear'm down.

• Oct. 25, 2022. Cleveland.com. Compromise saves Cleveland’s $17 million lead safety law: Stimulus Watch. "Following a heated Cleveland City Council committee meeting last week, a law aiming to prevent lead poisoning in children was approved. The $17 million legislation – funded by American Rescue Plan Act dollars and originally passed in May – was amended and passed the Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Monday and later received final approval during a Monday city council meeting. The amended legislation provides $13 million to the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition for loans/grants to make homes lead-safe, training lead-safety professionals and testing; $3 million for severely lead-poisoned properties not covered by a U.S. Housing and Urban Development grant and $1 million for lead-related code enforcement."

• October 28, 2022. WKSU. Cleveland inspectors will survey 170,000 properties for lead contamination. "Cleveland home inspectors will begin to survey nearly 170,000 properties for possible lead contamination this weekend, city officials announced Friday. Inspectors will start in the Slavic Village neighborhood where they will visually inspect properties from the street and assess for potential lead contamination, city officials said during a press conference. The surveyors will look for chipped paint and calculate a lead risk score to prioritize homes most likely at risk for lead contamination for future investigation, officials said. Read more here. The headlines are misleading. The door-to-door survey is not a lead inspection. Surveyors will identify conditions that are visible from the sidewalk that may indicate lead hazards. It's no substitute for a lead risk assessment and clearance test.

• October 29, 2022. WOIO Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb leads walk to raise awareness for lead poisoning awareness week. }Saturday morning, dozens gathered at Western Reserve Fire Museum in Cleveland to raise awareness about an issue that’s been plaguing the community for decades. 'Our lead paint crisis and our lead crisis is public enemy number 1 in our city,' said Mayor Justin Bibb."

• Oct. 28, 2022. WOIO. 2-year-old battles lead poisoning after Cleveland home doesn’t receive inspection. "A Cleveland mom said her 2-year-old is recovering from lead poisoning after falling ill earlier this month. Brandy Jones and her daughter Brielle moved into a house on Kelso Avenue in May. 'I moved in and I was happy, close to family, and me and my daughter had our own space,” Jones told 19 News.' "

• October 24th 2022. KIMA TV News. EPA fines Yakima contractor for lead-based paint safety violations, 13 others in WA "The Environmental Protection Agency claims Kline Construction & Associates LLC did not have proper certification under the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule for renovations and repairs of pre-1978 housing."

• 25 Oct 2022. Guardian. US lawmakers call for more measures to protect against toxic lead in tap water "Senators make appeal to EPA after series of Guardian articles revealed that communities of color often face high lead levels"

• Oct. 26, 2022, MLive. More Michigan kids could get lead poisoning help with testing change. "Under the previous definition of high blood lead levels, there were 1,907 Michigan children who hit that mark in 2021. However, a recent adjustment to that threshold means more than 3,400 young Michiganders met that threshold last year. By lowering the bar for what’s deemed a high blood level, health officials have increased access for available public health services and lead reduction programs."

• Oct. 18, 2022. Cleveland.com. Bibb second-guesses his own lead safety plan, seeks a $5.5 million change: Stimulus Watch. "CLEVELAND, Ohio -- After voting in the spring to spend $17 million to improve lead safety in Cleveland, Mayor Justin Bibb wants to pull back $5.5 million of that to spend on other, more intensive lead remediation projects." Insiders tell CLASH to expect a reconciliation this week. CLASH is hopeful that the Plain Dealer will print our Opinion piece on the city's plan for lead. If not, we'll share it through other media.

• Thursday, October 27, 8 a.m. – Lead Screening and Testing Commission. Under the leadership of Cleveland Department of Public Health Director Dr. David Margolius, the City’s Lead Screening and Testing Commission is holding a virtual meeting to discuss increasing childhood screening and testing rates. Watch here. CLASH ASKS: Is this a once a year show and tell? Who is a member of this commission? Any citizens? What is the commission's mandate? 

• Oct. 21, 2022. Channel 19 WOIO. "City of Cleveland offers help during Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. 'The city of Cleveland will be hosting various awareness events over the next week for Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, as officials look to keep people safe.' " At CLASH every week is lead poisoning prevention week. Adult amnesia (forgetting about the problem) is the most common side effect of lead exposure. 

Around Ohio

Oct. 18, 2022. Cleveland.com. Cleveland Heights enacts ‘Lead Safe’ ordinance for rental properties, to take effect in June. "CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- It took five council readings and over a year for the city to become the first suburb in Cuyahoga County to enact its own “Lead Safe” ordinance, further protecting the health of local renters and their children. Council passed the measure Monday (Oct. 17) with some amendments added, including one that incorporates federal guidelines protecting Realtors from potential liability for information not disclosed to them by property owners and landlords. With an eye toward further protecting the health of children, such as these kids shown here at the Oct. 2 Cleveland Heights Fun Run, Cleveland Heights has become the first suburb in Cuyahoga County to enact its own 'Lead Safe' ordinance to remediate the ill effects of the hazardous paint that has been banned in the U.S. since 1978."

Around Us.

• October 17, 2022. Sun Journal. Lewiston nonprofit offers free household lead tests to families. National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is scheduled for Oct. 24-28. To mark the week, Healthy Androscoggin is partnering with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to offer parents of young children who live in homes built prior to 1978 a free home lead dust test kit. Lewiston-Auburn’s lead poisoning rates are three times higher than other high-density areas. In the past decade 610 children have been poisoned by lead in Androscoggin County alone, according to a news release from Hannah Dieterich, lead poisoning prevention coordinator. Healthy Androscoggin will be distributing resources and brochures to families in Lewiston-Auburn. For more information about testing a home for lead, contact Dieterich at (207) 330-7879 or hannah.dieterich@cmhc.org. Homeowners also can order a free lead dust test kit online at maine.gov/healthyhomes. 'The point of offering these free test kits is to help our local families, especially those with small children, find out if their home or apartment has a lead dust problem, and help them figure out what to do to keep their children safe from lead,' Dieterich said." In honor of National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, CLASH will provide 3M lead test kits to RENTERS in CLEVELAND. Send an email to clevelandleadsafe@gmail.com and include your name, mailing address, and phone number. SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED. 

• Oct. 18, 2022. One Hour. Cabin company featured on reality show settles lead claims. "The company featured on the cable TV show 'Maine Cabin Masters' has settled claims that it violated lead safety and exposure rules on some of its renovations. The settlement reached by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Kennebec Property Services LLC of Manchester resolves allegations that arose from five renovations in 2020 on properties built before 1978, when lead paint was banned." More here

• October 19, 2022. Click on Detroit. How many children in your community have elevated blood lead levels. "Michigan has made blood lead data for children in the state with elevated blood lead levels (3.5 µg/dL and higher) available online through MiTracking. Until now, the data had been available for blood lead levels of 5 µg/dL and higher. Michigan updated its definition of an elevated blood lead level in May, after the CDC updated their blood lead reference value (BLRV) from 5 ug/dL to 3.5 ug/dL. There is no safe level of lead in blood." Ohioans can get data on numbers of children with elevated blood lead levels at: https://publicapps.odh.ohio.gov/EDW/DataBrowser/Browse/LeadData

• October 19, 2022. What Are Your Chances of Winning a Lead Poisoning Lawsuit? "Your chances are much higher of winning a lead poisoning lawsuit if you are the claimant than if you are the defendant."

• Oct. 20, 2022. NH Register. New Haven unveils new lead poisoning and abatement dashboard as part of stepped-up efforts to combat the problem. The city has grown more aggressive in its efforts to combat lead poisoning in recent years, hiring more inspectors, providing free home inspections, putting into place the state's tightest standards for when to act and using grant money to fund home renovations and lead abatement efforts. Now it's putting data related to those efforts on a new "New Haven Blood Lead Case Dashboard" so people can go online and see how and what the city is doing, Mayor Justin Elicker and other officials announced Thursday."

September Lead Safety News

Around Cleveland

• At City Council Comment Period on 9/12/22, Sabrina Otis (Ward 15) asked why property owners cited for lead-poisoning violations are being given exemptions. She said lead tests are not being completed and the inspectors for the Cleveland Department of Building and Housing are not enforcing recently passed legislation on lead poisoning. She stated that there is no mention of exemptions in the legislation. Cleveland Lead Poisoning Ordinance. Source: Kellie Morris, Cleveland Documenters.

• Exclusive to CLASH from the Cleveland Heights meeting. Lightly edited for length and clarity. MollyG reports: "I THINK the purpose of the mtg. was to allow input before the legislation got voted on.  There were (besides council) perhaps 30 people in the room. Mayor observed and there were I think 3 people from the Cuy. Co. board of health. Mostly landlords and realtors.  Definitely NOT [the] true demographics of [the] city. I would say the bulk of the comments were in the following camps: Realtors felt the proposed legislation held them responsible for making sure the property was lead-safe. They argued, "We advise and suggest, we do not enforce." Landlords said they were already inspected frequently and chipping paint is a checklist item already. [They] said they cannot be held responsible for how much tenants clean. Landlords [cited the] Onerous cost of replacing windows.  "We will have to pass on the cost to the renter." Realtors and Landlords said CH housing office doesn't answer phone and is already short-staffed so how will this be administered? [They made the] point made that there are not enough qualified people in Ohio to remediate, inspect and certify.  One landlord said contractors were working a year or more out. One landlord wanted a designated staff person for the project, suggested communications with lots of FAQ's should be mailed to all landlords and tenants. City said there is funding both from the city itself and from the county but more funding avenues must be researched. One landlord said there are only 15 known problem properties in Cleve. Hts. and that the legislation is a solution in search of a problem. City says occupant family of four bringing in less than $68 thousand (or 80% of [AMI]) would qualify landlord for financial help. Realtors said between high taxes and point of sale inspections some potential buyers are driven away and that to add lead stuff would tip some buyers and landlords away. A couple of landlords who have no children in units asked "couldn't you prioritize units with children and have mercy on us? What about out of state owners/LLCs?" Not all of the gripes came with vote no, but they wanted things tweaked and had grave concerns. The prolegislation speakers (including Prakesh Ganesh) noted that C.H. could be a leader amongst nearby communities by enacting the legislation.  Later CLASH learned that the legislation will be revised in light of the citizen input and reintroduced. If you want to read the truncated version from Cleveland.com--good luck.

• Sep 11, 2022. Omaha World-Herald. 13,000 yards and millions of dollars later, Omaha's cleanup of lead contaminated soil continues. "For more than 20 years, Omaha has been the focus of what has been called the federal government’s largest-ever cleanup of lead-contaminated yards. Soil has been replaced in more than 13,000 Omaha yards, and hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent. When the EPA undertook the project, it described Omaha as one of the nation’s top environmental priorities, saying Omaha was its largest-ever cleanup of lead-contaminated yards."

• September 13, 2022. Business Wire. Pure Earth Receives Major Donation to Help Five Countries Protect Children from Lead Poisoning. "The award from Takeda will strengthen expertise in national healthcare systems to prevent, identify, and treat lead poisoning." Pure Earth is an international non-profit.

• Sep. 14, 2022. WILX News 10. Jackson County Health Department hosts lead testing clinic. "JACKSON, Mich. (WILX) - A free blood lead testing clinic was held Wednesday at the Jackson County Health Department. Lead poisoning can cause lifelong problems with hearing, vision, coordination, and bone and muscle growth. It can be treated, but it needs to be caught early. The health department said testing is something every community should be doing and if you have a child between the ages of one and five, you should consider lead testing."

• September 16, 2022. Urban CNY News. NYCLU and Advocates Rally to End Dangerous Lead Exposure in Syracuse as I-81 Demolition Approaches. "The NYCLU, Families for Lead Freedom Now, and community members will rally for protections from dangerous levels of lead exposure. Syracuse residents experience lead poisoning at some of the highest rates in the country. The demolition of I-81 threatens exposing the community to even greater risk of lead poison. Advocates and community members will demand that the New York State Department of Transportation establish a health needs assessment related to the I-81 project, and lead abatement programs to prevent the spread of lead exposure in Syracuse prior to demolition. The rally will take place at the I-81 viaduct: Wilson Park, at the intersection of Almond St. and Jackson St."

• September 15, 2022. WUWM 89.7 FM. Activist wants to see Milwaukee speed up the removal of lead service lines. "Robert Miranda is the founder of the Freshwater for Life Action Coalition and the co-founder of the Get The Lead Out Coalition. He is advocating that old, lead infrastructure needs to be removed more quickly. Milwaukee has tens of thousands of lead laterals delivering drinking water to homes, which can present major health risks, especially for children and pregnant people."

• September 17, 2022. VigourTimes. Lead Spews From Some Southern California Airports; Cleaner Fuel Is Coming – Orange County Register. "Shepler learned that, while leaded gas has been fully banned in automobiles due to health concerns since 1996, it’s still widely used by many small planes and helicopters. And out of more than 20,000 airports nationwide, data from the Environmental Protection Agency shows Long Beach Airport ranks No. 2 in country for lead pollution, with planes there emitting nearly 1,600 pounds of lead each year into neighborhoods like the one where Shepler’s twins attend school."

August Lead Safety News

• The next Lead Safe Advisory Board meeting will be held at 1:00pm on Thursday, August 11, 2022.  Attend in person at City Hall, Room 509, or join via WebEx

• Aug 4, 2022. Springfield News. Health care leaders want to shed light on issue of lead exposure in children. "Early detection of potential lead poisoning in children is critical to preventing serious disabilities throughout adulthood, and area health leaders are working to reduce lead exposure to children in Clark County. Primary health care providers for children under six years old are critical partners in ensuring high-risk children are tested for elevated blood levels, according to a Clark County Combined Health District press release. Health planners from the Clark County Combined Health District on Wednesday met with health care providers at the Rocking Horse Community Health Center as a part of an ongoing public awareness campaign to reduce lead exposure to children in Clark County."

• Aug 01, 2022. Fox News47. The Jackson County Health Department is hosting one of two free childhood lead blood testing clinics this week. JACKSON, Mich. — The Jackson County Health Department is hosting one of two free childhood lead blood testing clinics this week. It’s happening this Wednesday from 10:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. According to the county health department, lead poisoning is a serious problems for infants and children under the age of six because it could affect them for the rest of their lives."

• Aug 3, 2022. Buffalo News. State seeks $5M from 'callous' landlord in lead paint case. "A former landlord who once owned or controlled 22 Buffalo homes where 29 children suffered lead poisoning should pay more than $5 million in penalties, restitution and forfeited rent, the state Attorney General's Office told a judge Wednesday. The amount appears to be the largest ever sought from a landlord in a lead-paint violation case in Western New York."

• August 11, 2022. Press Release. Governor DeWine Announces Support for Local Lead Line Mapping. "Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced today that his H2Ohio initiative is investing an additional $1.5 million to help local communities identify, inventory, and map lead service lines across the state. Ohio EPA began accepting applications for the H2Ohio Lead Line Mapping Grant Program today. Public water systems that do not have the financial means to properly assess where their lead service lines are located are eligible to receive up to $50,000."

• CLASH notes that there's still no decision on implementing the "new" CDC Standards for lead poisoned children. CLASH recommends following the CDC guidance. Inspect every home where a child has an Elevated Blood Lead Level (EBLL) of 3.5 micrograms/deciliter. No "information only" investigations. Come on DeWine and Whaley--make this a goal! See more here. 

• August 8, 2022.  KCUR. Kansas, Nebraska researchers use plants to pull toxic lead from soil. "Historic lead mining and smelting in the Midwest left behind toxic levels of lead in soil that pose a health threat to locals when rain causes the toxin to spread. Lead left behind in soil from mining and smelting poses a major health risk to people who live nearby. Researchers in Nebraska and Kansas believe plant life and organic material can limit lead’s spread." CLASH observes: "so what do you do with the lead laden plants?"

• August 8, 2022. Down Beach. Margate to amend city ordinance to require lead-based paint inspections. "The Board of Commissioners Thursday, Aug. 4 introduced an ordinance amending its municipal code for rental properties to ensure children are safe from the dangers of lead-based paints. According to a new law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy last year, municipalities must perform, or require landlords to certify there are no lead hazards to children in rental properties."

• 9 Aug 2022. ABC News Australia. Backyard hens' eggs contain 40 times more lead on average than shop eggs, research finds. "There's nothing like the fresh eggs from your own hens, the more than 400,000 Australians who keep backyard chooks will tell you. Unfortunately, it's often not just freshness and flavour that set their eggs apart from those in the shops. Our newly published research found backyard hens' eggs contain, on average, more than 40 times the lead levels of commercially produced eggs." More here.

•  August 9, 2022.  American Council on Science and Health. There Is No Lead  Emergency "Lead in drinking water became a political and media cause celebre in 2014 when there were reports of child “lead poisoning” in Flint, Michigan, after the notorious and unfortunate water supply blunders. The Flint problem could easily have been avoided with some common sense and legally required water management procedures." CLASH says: "The facts seem to be true, but the spin is dizzying!"

July 2022 News

• No date. Medical News Today. Pollution and health: Contaminated soil may lead to heart disease. " A new paper collates the latest research on soil pollution and its effects on human health. The report describes the links researchers have found between soil pollution and cardiovascular disease. The paper highlights that avoiding soil pollutants such as heavy metals, plastics, and pesticides to eat healthier requires a more active, knowledgeable consumer. Recent research has made it abundantly clear that humanity’s polluting ways have negatively affected the air and water on which we depend. A new article explores the growing danger beneath our feet. The paper focuses specifically on the link between pollutants in our soil and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. 'In recent years, air pollution has received significant attention as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease,' Mt. Sinai cardiologist Dr. Michael Hadley, who was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today."

• July 14, 2022. RESPA News. New Jersey warns real estate teams about RESPA violations.  "New Jersey recently sent a bulletin to real estate licensees to remind them to comply with the state’s RESPA-related laws. The bulletin was directed to real estate licensees, particularly those on teams, and the brokers responsible for managing and supervising those teams. It urged them to comply with the state Real Estate Broker and Salesperson Act and related regulations."

• July 10, 2022. Orange County Register. Maps tie Santa Ana’s contaminated soil to car pollution 100 years ago. " "UCI researchers concluded, in a pair of recent studies, that historic leaded gasoline is a “predominant contributor to contemporary soil-lead contamination in Santa Ana. 'The current approach used by public health agencies to prevent lead poisoning, which is primarily focused on lead paint and consumer products, is overlooking leaded gasoline as a major source of environmental lead,' said Juan Manuel Rubio, a historian and UCI Mellon Humanities Faculty Fellow. 'Our results also indicate that legacy soil-lead may be present in many other urban environments that received similar flow of traffic to Santa Ana during the 20th century.' ”

• Jul 12, 2022. ABC 57 News. South Bend Common Council intervening after child gets lead poisoning in historic home. "South Bend’s Historical Preservation Committee originally denied several requests by the family to replace the windows because the committee wanted to preserve them. After emphasizing a need for better communication, the Common Council voted six to one to allow the windows to be replaced."

• Jul 13 2022. News-Medical.net. Study confirms a causal link between lead-in-water and adverse fetal health outcomes. "Lehigh University and Bentley University health economics researchers have published the first study to confirm a causal relationship between lead-in-water and adverse fetal health outcomes. Although many studies have found a correlation between lead exposure and health, a causal link had been lacking in the literature-;until now. The study has recently been published in the Journal of Health Economics in an article titled: Lead in Drinking Water and Birth Outcomes: A Tale of Two Water Treatment Plants."

• July 14, 2022. Observer.com. Why Do Black Kids Keep Being Poisoned By Lead? Benton Harbor, Michigan is one of the latest majority-Black communities to experience toxic contamination. "In his 1971 song, “Save The Children,” Marvin Gaye pleaded that we should consider protecting our children’s lives because they are our future: 'Little children today…Are really gonna suffer tomorrow…What a shame…Such a bad way to live' Gaye’s classic was released just six years before lead paint was banned nationwide in response to children having seizures and dying. Nearly 50 years after the lead paint ban, Black children across the U.S. continue to suffer from lead exposure more than other groups. With lead being found in pipes, faucets, and drinking fountains, Gaye’s lyrics still ring true. His plea might be on the minds of community members in Benton Harbor, Michigan, an 85% Black town of 9,000 residents — 45% of whom live in poverty — located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. 'Segregation, disinvestment, and concentrated poverty — none of which is a historic accident, but a purposeful strategy — has caused generations of people in Benton Harbor to suffer,' Anna Clark, a Detroit-based journalist and author of 'The Poisoned City: Flint’s Water and the American Urban Tragedy,' told PBS NewsHour in fall 2021."

• 15 Jul 2022. Mirror. Boy, 3, suffers 'lead poisoning' after eating mud in garden as mum desperate to move. "A mum-of-two is desperate to move out of her council flat after claiming her three-year-old son suffered lead poisoning from the garden. Layla Carter, 27, is trying to get Bristol City Council to rehouse her family but claims her request has been refused because work has been done to try and fix the issue. However, she says more tests need to be carried out as her son Vinnie's lead levels continue to rise. Layla says her son has pica, an eating disorder that causes him to eat things that are not food such as mud and sand."

• July 15, 2022. Richmond Palladium-Item. Make My Move plans to offer remote workers $5,000 enticement. "During the morning portion of the commissioners meeting, Christine Stinson, executive director of the Wayne County Health Department, described the difficulties associated with the state's new lead poisoning regulations. The state July 1 lowered the lead levels in children's blood that trigger health department action. The new law immediately doubled the health department's cases. A grant provided wages for a part-time nurse and part-time environmentalist to help lessen the department's load. Stinson said that funding is necessary to assist families impacted by lead. She said there are temporary housing concerns as well as mitigation costs that home owners face."

• Jul. 08, 2022. Cleveland.com. Lead poisoning is a public health crisis. Ohio’s cities should act now: Sterling Shriber and Palak Rath. "AKRON, Ohio -- Lead is a poison that too often contaminates many aspects of urban life, inflicting widespread disease and disability. That burden is especially high in the Rust Belt, in cities like Akron and Cleveland, and the effects are felt disproportionately by the poor and marginalized, with children being the most vulnerable. For decades, states and the federal government have lagged in taking meaningful action. Little progress will come from waiting any longer. Local communities can come together to confront the issue, and cities must now take action where they can."

• July 7, 2022. ABC 6. Pawtucket apartment complex owner fined $25K for violating lead paint guidelines. "The United States Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday that the owner of a Pawtucket apartment complex had to pay a $25,000 fine after failing to properly renovate surfaces covered with lead paint. The EPA said that American Wire Residential Lofts was not a Rhode Island Lead Hazard Control licensed firm. The licensing is require for all housing built before 1978. American wire also did not have a certified lead renovator to oversee each renovation project."  More here

• July 7, 2022. Times Free Press. Water samples taken from Dupont Elementary in Chattanooga test extremely high for lead. "Two water samples taken from Dupont Elementary have tested extremely high for lead, according to Hamilton County Schools data. One sample from a classroom faucet showed lead concentration levels of 286 parts per billion — more than 10 times higher than the level at which the state requires a response, which is 20 parts per billion. The samples were part of routine water testing required by the state of Tennessee. Hamilton County Schools collected 806 samples. Of those, 12 showed lead concentration levels higher than 20 ppb."

• 2022-07-04 Ground Alerts. Lead Market Demand, Regional Overview, Business Growth & Forecast to 2025. "Increasing deployment of backup power systems in hospitals, industrial and commercial facilities is a major factor driving the growth of the lead market. Surging need of automotive batteries and favorable federal reforms to develop enhanced microgrid networks is also aiding the expansion of the market. Escalating investments in metal & mining industries coupled with growing electric vehicle sector are also fueling the popularity of the product across the globe."

• Undated. New York League of Conservation Voters. Lead in Soil: An Environmental Review. "New York City’s parks serve as a peaceful respite from the bustle of urban life. They’re home to sporting events, concerts, and community gardens. But these park safe havens may contain a hidden danger  — a recent study found high levels of lead in the soil of several NYC parks, surpassing the EPA’s soil cleanup value of 400 milligrams of lead per kilogram of soil. Soil samples from Long Island City in Queens and Greenpoint in Brooklyn averaged 540 mg/kg and 450 mg/kg, respectively."

• July 8, 2022. Times Free Press. EPA steps up lead cleanup in Chattanooga neighborhoods."Eight neighborhoods are targeted. [...] The soil in the neighborhoods was contaminated over the past century from residue generated at more than 60 iron, brass and bronze foundries that operated in Chattanooga for nearly a century until the 1980s, officials have said."

• Jul 16, 2022. LancasterOnline. Manheim Borough Council to send letter about lead dangers to landlords. " 'We wouldn’t inspect all the rental housing stock at once; inspections would be phased-in,' Phillips said. 'Education alone won’t do it. Unless we have inspections (for rental units), we won’t have results,' resident Donna Hlavacek said. 'Landlords who keep up with maintenance and who repaint their units after a tenant moves out really shouldn’t see an issue with a lead inspection. But for those who do have a lead issue, we can work with them on remediation,' Kaufhold said."

• July 18, 2022. Providence Journal. RI attorney general sues 5 RI landlords over alleged lead poisoning hazards. "Rhode Island has sued five more landlords who rent properties in which children with lead poisoning live, the state attorney general said Monday. The three properties in Providence, one in Central Falls, and one in Newport all contain “significant lead hazards" and the landlords have failed to comply with state lead poisoning prevention laws, Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement."

• July 22, 2022. Sun Journal Lead test results for five more Auburn schools released this week. "Lead concentration results from water fixtures in five more Auburn schools became available online this week, revealing several dozen more faucets and fountains in the district with levels above the state's recommended threshold. The attorney general has filed 17 lawsuits since last fall against landlords who have failed to fully address alleged lead violations on their properties."

• Jul 21, 2022. Daily Journal.com. EPA proposes cleanup plans for Washington County. "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed interim cleanup plans for groundwater in private, domestic drinking water wells at residential properties at the Washington County Lead District (WCLD) Superfund Sites in southeastern Missouri. The WCLD includes four sites on the national priorities list (NPL): Furnace Creek, Old Mines, Potosi and Richwoods. The proposed plans call for the installation of point-of-use treatment systems with institutional controls and health education as an interim action. EPA will continue the remedial investigation and feasibility study process in order to review potential alternatives to remediating the aquifer that is the source of the contaminated well water, and to identify a final remedy."

• July 24, 2022. Inside Climate News. In Atlanta, Work on a New EPA Superfund Site Leaves Black Neighborhoods Wary, Fearing Gentrification. "The EPA wants to test soil for lead contamination in two historically Black neighborhoods on Atlanta’s west side. Residents, eyeing the creep of gentrification, worry that the cleanup is part of an effort to push them out."

• JULY 23, 2022. Tri-County Citizen. Chesaning village may have to resort to water shutoffs."During the Tuesday, July 19 meeting of the Chesaning Village Council, trustee Phil Larner reported how difficult it’s been to get Chesaning water customers to respond to the notices sent out for lead and copper service line testing. Larner explained that the village initially sent out 220 notices to randomly selected water customers. Only 37 percent of those receiving notices responded. They sent out a second round of notices and received fewer than the first round."

• Building health equity through housing policies: critical reflections and future directions for research. "Housing may be at once the most powerful and underused tool at our disposal to improve population health. Using examples from the USA, we argue that current levels of housing insecurity are the result of clear and inequitable policy choices, leading to the entrenchment of health inequities—particularly, across race and class. Solutions to housing insecurity must, therefore, be structural. The COVID-19 pandemic has opened a window of opportunity for these structural housing policy reforms." Thanks to Ohio Lead Free Kids Coalition.

• JULY 25, 2022. MedXpress. Effects of lead poisoning may be reversible with early-childhood enrichment. "Lead exposure in early childhood can lead to severe cognitive and behavioral impairments in children that last well into adolescence and adulthood. Although researchers have looked at effects of early life lead exposure on a small number of genes involved in learning, memory, and brain development, research was lacking as to the full extent of the toxicity. New research from Thomas Jefferson University shows that over 3,500 genes in the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in learning and memory are affected by lead poisoning. The work also shows that providing animals with stimulating environments early in life can reverse the large majority of these genetic changes, reinforcing the potentially important role of early-childhood education in combating the effects of lead poisoning."  More here and here.

• July 25, 2022 EcoRI. Get the Lead Out: A Lethargic Work in Progress. "Critics say Rhode Island’s efforts are taking too long and placing an unfair burden on low-wealth families and marginalized communities."

• July 25, 2022. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. lMilwaukee looks to raise penalties for landlords who don't comply with lead removal directives. "Milwaukee landlords who don't comply with requirements to remove lead from their properties would face harsher penalties under new legislation that is headed to the Common Council on Thursday. 'We want to raise up the landlords that are compliant, doing a great job providing excellent housing in our community, and then we need to push the ones that aren't,' said Common Council President José G. Pérez, who put forward the legislation." More here

• July 25, 2022. Common Dreams. Khanna Calls Biden EPA, FAA Refusal to Join Hearing on Lead in Children's Blood 'Unconscionable' " 'I would expect this of the previous administration, but not this one.' " [....] "U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna on Monday called out the Biden administration for not participating in an upcoming congressional hearing about leaded aviation fuel harming human health and the environment." CLASH's Collaborator EarthJustice commented on this Hearing. The hazards of AvGas could be an issue for Clevelanders in the discussion of the future of Burke Airport. 

• July 29, 2022. 620WTMJ. The city of Milwaukee and the CDC disagree on lead poisoning level guidelines "But when it comes to the guidelines of what lead poisoning levels would be in children, the city and CDC disagree. The CDC says that the actionable blood lead level in children is 3.5 micrograms per deciliter. However, the city of Milwaukee’s actionable blood lead level in children is 5 micrograms per deciliter. Coalition On Lead Emergency Chair Richard Diaz says those inconsistencies in actionable blood lead levels are putting children’s lives at risk."

June 2022

• Jun 12, 2022. Buffalo News. The Editorial Board: A major lead contamination complaint ends with minor results. The poisoning continues. "This rental home at 952 Northampton St. in Buffalo is one of three that its previous owner, Angel Dalfin, abandoned more than a year ago. Dalfin is a fugitive, authorities say. His property manager, Paul R. Heil, was sentenced to probation and fined $15,000 last week for lead paint violations. A bad landlord and an inept – at best – manager endangered the lives of dozens of Buffalo children. Consequences? Not much."

• June 13, 2022. Elmira Star Gazette. Lead exposure a real risk in NY: How medical students are partnering with Elmira residents. "In response to the threat, LECOM is partnering with Arnot Health, the Economic Opportunity Program and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield to provide free lead screening clinics for Head Start children and others. BlueCross BlueShield is providing the funding, EOP is offering the space and LECOM is providing the manpower in the form of family medicine students who will volunteer on a rotating basis."

• Jun. 13, 2022. Syracuse.com. NY Attorney General shuts down Syracuse landlord accused of exposing kids to lead poisoning. "Syracuse, N.Y. — A Syracuse landlord accused of exposing kids to lead poisoning has been banned from owning or managing residential properties in New York state. That action is part of a settlement of a lawsuit by NY Attorney General Letitia James against landlord John Kiggins and his company Endzone Properties Inc., who were accused of repeatedly violating lead paint laws."

• June 14, 2022. Chicago Sun-Times. City should address peeling lead-based paint in Southwest Side viaducts "Lead is bad news for the healthy development of children, and lead-poisoning cases are most common on the South and West sides. [...] It wouldn’t hurt for the health and transportation departments to look over what residents found, publicly address their uneasiness and fix the viaducts to eliminate those feelings of being unsafe."

• JUNE 20, 2022. Michigan Advance. Column: To achieve justice, our fight against lead poisoning has to go beyond prevention. "Advocates from across the state met with legislators to talk about the impact of lead on our families and communities and solutions that make all of us safer and healthier. Direct lead poisoning prevention and response are critical, but state policymakers also must understand and address lead within a larger context of racial and disability justice."

• Jun. 15, 2022. 1011 Now. Lead Safe Initiative set to launch in July. "LINCOLN, Neb. (Press Release) - Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and officials with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department (LLCHD) and the City Urban Development Department kicked off Lead Safe Lincoln on Wednesday. The project is an initiative to reduce the risk of lead exposure in children through expanded testing, and the identification and removal of lead hazards in homes." More here.

• Jun 16, 2022. Press Release. Senate Passes Baker, Yudichak Legislation to Protect Children from Lead Poisoning." The Pennsylvania Senate has unanimously passed legislation that takes a significant step forward to protect children from lead poisoning, according to the bill’s prime sponsors, Senator Lisa Baker (R-20) and Senator John Yudichak (I-14). Senate Bill 522 is bi-partisan legislation that seeks to ensure that all pregnant women and all children in Pennsylvania receive blood tests to detect lead poisoning.  Effects of lead poisoning are irreversible and severe, including neurological and developmental disabilities. No level of lead is safe for children, and symptoms may not present themselves until it is too late."

• Jun 16, 2022. WTHI-News. New rule in Indiana is helping protect children from lead poisoning. "To help protect children from lead poisoning, Indiana has adopted a new emergency rule. The law lowers the threshold of when public health agencies have to address high blood levels in kids. Health officials must provide services for kids with high lead levels by notifying a doctor and testing other kids in the household."

• June 17, 2022. Tap Into South Brunswick. South Brunswick Introduces Lead Paint Inspection Ordinance for Rental Spaces "The South Brunswick Township Council has introduced an ordinance that would require lead paint inspections for certain rental spaces. The ordinance was introduced at the last council meeting on Tuesday, June 14th. Last year, the state passed a law that would require municipalities that conduct housing inspections, such as South Brunswick, to also inspect properties for lead paint. The law pertains to single-family, two-family, and multiple dwelling rental spaces. The ordinance introduced by the council would meet the standards set by the state. The law was aimed at preventing lead poisoning in children. Exposure to lead in young children has been linked to lower IQs, slow growth, learning disabilities, and speech problems, according to the CDC."

• HHS has just created an Office of Environmental Justice  OEJ is organizationally located within HHS' Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, a component of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health. Press Release.

• NEOBHC Demand Equity in Lead Service Line Replacement. We need your help to fix the inequities in state funding for lead service line replacements. Background: Through the historic, bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law in November of 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is distributing $15 billion to states to fund lead service line replacement. 

• June 3, 2022. Fruitvale students tested their soil and found lead contamination. Now they’re campaigning to fix it. "Sixth-graders at a Fruitvale middle school are raising the alarm over elevated lead levels at their school and in their neighborhoods. Students at United for Success Academy on 35th Avenue worked during the school year with the East Bay Academy for Young Scientists and Frontline Catalysts, an environmental justice organization that launched last year, to test the soil on their campus, at the nearby Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, and at their own homes."

• Jun 03, 2022. FOX 17. Benton Harbor Water Crisis: class action complaint breakdown. "On Friday, FOX 17 received a copy of the complaint Benton Harbor community members filed against the state of Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and several other state officials. The complaint, filed in May 2022, alleges that the defendants ignored the exceedingly high levels of lead in Benton Harbor’s water supply; therefore, poisoning residents."

• June 8, 2022. WKSU Cleveland taps MetroHealth doctor to head city health department. "Dr. David Margolius was named Cleveland's new director of public health, according to a city media release. Mayor Justin Bibb appointed on Wednesday Dr. David Margolius as Cleveland's new director of public health, according to a media release from the city."

Around Us

• JUN. 07, 2022. Shepherd Express. Richard Diaz fights for families with lead poisoning. "Three thousand, nine-hundred and twelve children up to the age of six were reported being poisoned by lead in Wisconsin in 2018—and that’s with a testing rate of only 10 percent of children. The fact is simple. There is not enough being done in Wisconsin to prevent lead poisoning and to help families who are being lead poisoned. 'There is no safe exposure level,' says Richard Diaz, founding member of the Coalition on Lead Emergency (COLE), a volunteer-run group advocating for policy and funding to address the lead crisis. 'Even the lowest blood lead levels can affect the developing brain and central nervous system having irreversible effects.' Lead exposure has been shown to cause diminished academic abilities, increased attention deficits and damaging behaviors. Unfortunately, communities of color and lower-income residents are impacted most by lead."

• Jun 7, 2022  Olean Times Herald 2 Olean homeowners face fines for not removing lead paint. "Two Olean homeowners are each facing $600 fines in separate lead paint abatement cases brought by the Cattaraugus County Health Department. The Cattaraugus County Board of Health approved the fine recommendations by Administrative Law Judge David Porter at last week’s meeting. In each case, the homeowner was cited by the health department because a young child in the home tested positive for lead."

• June 8, 2022. Times Herald-Record. Newburgh woman shares her child's experience with lead poisoning. "Gabrielle Burton-Hill of Newburgh talks about the importance of safe drinking water and shares her daughter's experience with lead poisoning."

• Jun 07, 2022. WKBW. Buffalo landlord pleads guilty to knowingly exposing tenants to unsafe levels of lead "A Buffalo landlord has pleaded guilty to knowingly exposing tenants to unsafe levels of lead. The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that 54-year-old MD J. Abedin pleaded guilty Tuesday in Buffalo City Court to one count of willful violation of health laws, public health law section 12-B (1), an unclassified misdemeanor. This is the second case to be prosecuted by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office since the law was enacted in 2014,"

• June 6, 2022. Public News Service. 'It's Preventable': PA Campaign Urges Action on Lead Poisoning. "Advocates have launched a new push focused on getting Pennsylvania lawmakers to pass legislation that protects children from lead-paint poisoning. The percentage of Pennsylvania kids with high lead levels is among the nation's worst, twice the national average. Part of that is connected to the state's old housing stock, with 70% of homes being built before 1978, when consumer-use of lead-based paint was banned."

• June 9th 2022. WICV. Tioga County Reports 30 Cases of Child Lead Poisoning. "30 children in Tioga County had lead poisoning this past year, according to the Tioga County Public Health Department. Health officials said the number is a significant increase from previous years, but is mostly attributed to a 2019 change in New York State public health regulations. Previously, a lead-blood level of 15 micrograms per deciliter meant a child had lead poisoning -- now, that level has been reduced to 5."

• Jun 10, 2022. Chicago Sun Times. In Southwest Side viaducts, peeling paint contains toxic levels of lead. But is it a hazard? "Alejandra Frausto, a mother and former teacher at nearby Eberhart Elementary School, wondered about that stuff for years. Then, her sixth-grade science students finished a project three years ago. It found that the paint used in the viaducts contains brain-damaging lead at levels hundreds of times higher than what would be considered safe for house paint."

• June 11, 2022. UPMC. NOW – Episode 59. "In episode 59 of UPMC NOW, celebrate the opening of a new Matt’s Maker Space at UPMC Western Behavioral Health, find out how a lead poisoning prevention team in Central Pa. is keeping children in the community safe, and see how medical staff rally together to overcome racism and systemic injustice." (start at 2:07)

• June 8th 2022. Erie News Now. County Health Department Focused On Lead Poisoning. "The Jamestown Housing committee heard from the Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services about an issue plaguing the city, lead poisoning. Lisa Schmidtfrerick-Miller presented to the committee the Health Department’s Healthy Housing Program, and its goal of reducing the egregious amount of lead poisoning cases in Jamestown."

May 2022 News

• ​May 2, 2022. NPR. Known to be toxic for a century, lead still poisons thousands of Midwestern kids. "Parents often blame themselves for their children's lead poisoning, Lanphear said. And there are steps families can take to avoid lead and other contaminants: adding landscaping to bare soil, dusting surfaces, avoiding plastic and canned foods. But he said it's primarily up to federal health officials."  More Here.

• May 2, 2022.  Georgia Law News. Taking the lead in defending youngsters from lead in Georgia – SaportaReport.

• Park Center for Independent Media. Journalists Speak on Collaboration and Democracy at 2022 Izzy Award. "Jeff Cohen, founding director of PCIM, introduced reporter Greg B. Smith of THE CITY. Smith’s investigations uncovered the negligence of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), which has lead to a long history of dangerous living conditions, disrepair, and lead poisoning. Smith said “One of the major issues I ran into while poking into this story was the issue of lead paint” in apartments that were considered to be lead free."  More here.

• May 3, 2022. Press Release. Governor Lamont Hails Final Legislative Approval of His Proposal Strengthening Connecticut’s Standards on Childhood Lead Poisoning.

• May 3rd 2022. Channel 21. The dangers of living with lead, one family's story. "The Lead Safe Program has made over 800 homes safe from the toxin since 1995. It offers assistance to low and moderate-income families, as well as Rental Property Owners and organizations in making their buildings free of lead for the wellbeing of children. Applications can be found here."

• May 5, 2022. EHS Daily Advisor. Avoiding Lead Paint Renovation Fines. "The EPA is serious about compliance, especially when it comes to home renovations containing lead-based paint. 'Reducing childhood lead exposure and the associated health impacts is a top priority for EPA,” states an EPA news release. “That’s why EPA inspectors will be working actively in overburdened communities … to encourage greater compliance with the federal Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule.'

• May 6 2020. CentralMaine.com. Farmington-area schools canceled Friday due to high lead levels discovered in pipes. "All schools in Regional School Unit 9 were closed Friday due to elevated levels of lead in water fixtures.Superintendent Chris Elkington said that late Thursday afternoon the district “received the results of the water testing we had completed at the end of March,” according to a letter shared on the district’s Facebook page late Thursday night." More here.

• May 6, 2022.  WPRI. Neronha sues 2 landlords after kids get lead poisoning. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha has sued landlords in Pawtucket and Woonsocket for “significant lead hazards” that led to the poisoning of two children. The Pawtucket rental property is located on Garden Street and was found to have multiple violations inside and outside the three-unit home, according to the AG’s office. The R.I. Department of Health (RIDOH) inspected the property after a child living there suffered lead poisoning. The AG’s office said the owner was issued two warnings and took no action to remediate the hazards. The owners of a multi-family home on Ward Street in Woonsocket were also sued for noncompliance after a child got lead poisoning. Violations were found inside and outside the building, according to the AG’s office, and the owners failed to resolve the issues after two warnings. More here.

• May. 24, 2022. Cleveland.com. Cleveland City Council approves spending $17 million for lead safety in homes: Stimulus Watch 

• Lead Safe Advisory Board may have met last Thursday. Details when we get them.

• May 24, 2020. WBEZ, Grow tomatoes, not carrots and other tips for keeping lead out of your garden produce. "In a recent study, Andrew Margenot, a University of Illinois crop sciences researcher took 2,000 soil samples from across Chicago backyards and parkways and found the city’s median soil lead level is 220 parts per million (ppm) — that’s ten times higher than the 20 ppm natural level. Margenot also found that 20 percent of the city exceeds the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s safe limit of 400 ppm for growing crops, and all of the city is well above the California EPA state limit of 80 ppm. Some areas on the South and West Sides exceed 1,000 ppm."

• May 25, 2022. Seeking Alpha. Municipal Impact Investing: Bonds That Transform Our Communities. "Newark is one of the few success stories out there. And back in 2019, they brought a $120 million bond to market to do a full service-line replacement. It not only married the funding that they were able to get from the municipal bond market, but they were also able to pair that along with the political necessities as well. So, this meant that they were able to pass state and local legislation that'll allow them to use public monies on private property. And on top of that, they also passed legislation that allowed them to go on to private properties, so that they would be able to just go forward and make these lead service line replacements without having to wait for a homeowner's consent. And this was so important to the success of this project that it lowered the amount of time that it took from eight to ten years down to being completed in three years."

• May 23, 2022. Lafayette Journal & Courier. Lead poisoning-related case increase anticipated once reporting standards increase "Once an Indiana law takes effect this summer, a new position within the Tippecanoe County Health Department will address what could be a 400-percent increase in lead-poisoning cases. Earlier this year, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed House Bill 1313 into law, effective July 1, that aims to bring state standards for children’s blood lead levels closer in line with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ standards and would require health care providers to screen every child under the age of 6 for lead."

• May 27, 2022. WSHU. EPA announces lead inspection sweep in Fairfield, New Haven and Hartford counties. "Inspectors with the EPA, as well as state and local health officials, will check compliance with federal regulations at renovation job sites involving housing and child care facilities built before 1978. Field staff will also be checking that landlords are providing prospective tenants with proper, federally mandated disclosure about the presence of lead-based paint. The EPA anticipates it will pursue enforcement actions, if necessary."

• Environmental Health Watch. California Assembly and Senate approve bills to improve prevention of lead poisoning. "The California Assembly and Senate today approved two bills that would take important steps toward the prevention of lead poisoning. Assembly Bill 2326, authored by Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-Colton), would improve communications between laboratories testing blood samples for lead and health care providers. Blood lead levels in children are usually detected in screenings during routine doctor visits. The legislation would require laboratories performing blood lead analyses to provide additional details to the California Department of Public Health and other local agencies to facilitate child case management and assessments of environmental conditions that may contribute to child lead exposure. State agencies would then have the information needed to remove the sources of the child’s lead exposure." 

• May 26, 2022. NO LEAD LEVEL IS SAFE! RAISING AWARENESS BY WALKING DOOR TO DOOR. "The Chenango County Health Department is launching a lead poisoning awareness initiative. Department representatives will visit eleven communities in the county as part of a program called 'Lead Walk 2022' with the theme 'No Lead Level is Safe.' 'Our staff walks through neighborhoods and places door hangers with information about the dangers of lead poisoning,' said Heather Miller, Supervising Community Health Nurse. During the next few months health officials will visit the City of Norwich, and the towns of Afton, Bainbridge, Earlville, Greene, Guilford, New Berlin, Plymouth, Sherburne and South New Berlin."

• May 26, 2022. WRTV. Citizens Energy to replace 2,500 lead customer service lines citizens energy. "Citizens Energy plans to replace 2,500 customer-owner lead service lines in Indianapolis homes over the next five years. The program is estimated to cost more than $22 million. The utility has begun adding a $.50-$.75 charge on utility bills to help fund the program. A spokesperson for Citizens Energy Group estimates there could be more than 50,000 homes in Indianapolis that still utilize lead service lines. The service line runs water from the water main to the customer's house. Customers own that pipe, which can cost thousands to replace."

• May 26, 2022. Sentinel News Service. Healthy Families Coalition Demands Action To Protect Kids From Lead Poisoning. "Community leaders, teachers and parents recently launched the Healthy Families Coalition to demand the Los Angeles City Planning and Environmental Health Departments immediately condemn Atlas Metals in Watts. 'For years the City of Los Angeles has ignored the pleas of a community that has been poisoned by lead and endangered by metal projectiles,' said Tim Watkins, president and CEO of Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC). 'What’s the point of having regulations on the books if the city isn’t going to use them to protect nearly 1,000 kids?' ”

• MAY 25, 2022. Dallas Observer. Dallas Aimed to Reduce Lead Exposure in Homes. Some $200,000 Later, None Have Been Fixed. "In 2019, the Department of Housing and Urban Development gave Dallas $2.3 million to remove lead-based paint, as well as other health and safety hazards, from homes across the city. Dallas threw in its own money too, $735,000, to implement the program, which aimed to service 121 homes. 'This funding is incredibly important because childhood lead poisoning is the most universal yet preventable environmental health issue in the United States,' Brandon Ayala, the city’s grant manager, said in a press release at the time. 'Our goal is to target families living in homes they suspect may have lead-based paint, and reduce the risk of exposure.' Today, all of the grant money meant to administer the Healthy Homes Lead Reduction Program – $200,000 – has been spent and zero homes have been worked on. It’s also uncertain whether the program will reach anywhere near its initial goal of serving more than 100 homes."

• MAY 31, 2022. Kansas Reporter. How the lead industry misled the public about its toxic problem for decades. "Lead is a dangerous neurotoxin. Researchers have known that for decades. But the substance stuck around in everyday products like paint and gasoline for decades. One big reason: The lead industry spent years using racial bias to divert public attention away from the dangers of the toxin and minimized the impact of mounting evidence indicating lead was poisoning children with devastating effects. Gerald Markowitz has authored numerous books and articles about public health, lead poisoning and occupational safety. He is a history professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the City University of New York and an expert in occupational safety and health. In 2002, he co-wrote “Deceit and Denial: The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution,” which describes attempts by the lead industry to deceive Americans about the dangers its products posed to the public. As part of The Missouri Independent and NPR Midwest Newsroom’s collaborative investigation of high levels of lead in children in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, Niara Savage interviewed Markowitz about the lead industry’s tactics and the lasting implications for public perception and policy."

• May. 31, 2022. WTVG. Toledo mayor announces lead-safe paint certification deadline for rental property owners. "TOLEDO, Ohio - Mayor Kapszukiewicz announced the first deadline for lead-safe paint certification for rental property owners Tuesday. 'This is serious business because the problem we are dealing with is serious,' said Kapszukiewicz. Mayor Kapszukiewicz was joined by the Director of Housing and Community Development, Rosalyn Clemens, Toledo-Lucas County Health Department Commissioner, Eric Zgodzinski, and Vice President with the Toledo Lead Poisoning Prevention Coalition, Juanita Greene to officially announce that the deadline for the first phase of the project is June 30, 2022. 'We’re serious about this,' said Clemens. 'This is a silent crisis in our city.' ”   More here. More here.

• May 31, 2022. Click on Detroit. Experts dive into why there’s an alarming increase in lead poisoning among children. "Lead poisoning risk for children increases during the summer, and experts say many exposures in Michigan may be going undetected. "Lead poisoning risk for children increases during the summer, and experts say many exposures in Michigan may be going undetected. According to the State Health Department, the number of children who received blood testing for lead decreased from 2019 to 2020, and preliminary data demonstrates testing rates remained low through last year. The change is thought to be attributed to a decrease in well-child visits during the pandemic, leading to many kids missing the screening."

April 2022 News

• The Ohio Lead Free Kids Coalition supports HB 587 which would appropriate a historic $500 Million investment of ARPA Funding to rollout a robust multi-pronged strategy that highlights the critical need for protecting children from lead exposure. HB 587 helps property owners ensure that homes and childcare centers are lead-safe by removing barriers for Ohio firms seeking to provide lead-safe work and incentivizing firms to further advance lead abatement and to expand the reach of lead-safe work practices. HB 587 was introduced by Representative Tom Patton & Representative Dontavius Jarrells. Read More Here.

• March 8th 2022, NBC24. Toledo leaders detail $10M lead line replacement program. "TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, along with Council Member Nick Komives and Director of Public Utilities Ed Moore, announced Tuesday the details of the $10 million customer lead line replacement program." Thanks TJ for sharing this info.

• April 3, 2022. Joplin Globe. Missouri House bill would cut down on lead in school drinking water ""The bill, heard last week by the House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee, would require schools to test drinking water, remove old coolers and filter water where lead is found. The goal is drinking water with a lead concentration of less than one part per billion. The state’s current action level for drinking water is 15 times that."

• April 3, 2022. KARE 11. St. Paul lead water lines to be fixed with federal dollars. Water customers will be offered free replacement of service lines made of lead, with a major assist from Uncle Sam. "ST PAUL, Minn. — Water customers in Saint Paul who still have lead water service lines have an opportunity to get them replaced free of charge in the coming years. Mayor Melvin Carter announced this week an influx of federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan will make it possible for the St. Paul Regional Water Service to replace lead service lines faster than originally anticipated."

• APRIL 04, 2022. Centre Daily Times. Baby has ‘delays’ from high blood lead levels, feds say. "A Pennsylvania landlord has been sentenced after a tenant accused him of not providing the family with a lead hazard pamphlet as required by federal law. This led to a young child developing high levels of lead in his body, prosecutors said. Dennis Morgan, 75, previously owned two residential properties in Sunbury, where he failed to provide at least one of his tenants with a federally-approved lead paint hazard pamphlet, a sentencing memo and Department of Justice April 4 news release said." US Attorney press release. 

• April 4, 2022. South Bend Tribune. Waste was dumped in a South Bend neighborhood. The soil-based lead will finally be treated. "Neither Honeywell International — whose predecessor is Bendix Corp., the automobile and aviation parts manufacturing company alleged to have dumped trash in the area a century ago — nor the city of South Bend admits any liability for the soil contamination that occurred at the site. Regardless, the two entities will pay to excavate areas of the park and add clean soil this summer as part of a federal environmental program that designates them as 'potentially responsible parties.' "

• March 27, 2022. Yahoo News. Poisoned School Water: Data Show High Lead Levels at Half of Montana Schools. "About half of Montana schools that had tested their water by mid-February under a new state rule had high levels of lead, according to state data. But the full picture isn’t clear because fewer than half of the state’s school buildings had provided water samples six weeks after the deadline. For many schools with high lead levels, finding the money to fix the problem will be a challenge. The options aren’t great. They can compete for a dwindling pool of state money, seek federal aid passed last year, or add the repairs to their long lists of capital improvement projects and pay for the work themselves."

• Apr 8, 2022. Buffalo News. As case proceeded without him, landlord sold houses where 29 children suffered lead poisoning "At a court hearing Thursday, State Supreme Court Justice Catherine Nugent Panepinto said she will put into receivership the last of Dalfin's properties in the city: three houses on the East Side, including the one where Khan lives. And the judge said she will approve a default judgment banning Dalfin from renting out or managing properties in New York State."

• April 7th, 2022. WABE. Researchers offer free lead tests to residents in Westside superfund zone. "Researchers from the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Emory University are launching a new study this spring to test the blood of residents on Atlanta’s Westside for lead. More than 2,000 residential properties in the Vine City and English Avenue neighborhoods are part of a superfund area designated for cleanup by the EPA."

• Apr 6, 2022. Conway Daily Sun. New children’s book helps parents, kids prevent lead poisoning. "The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services recently announced the release of “Happy, Healthy, Lead-Free Me!,” a new children’s book aimed at engaging children and educating parents on lead poisoning prevention and the importance of pediatric lead level testing. The book, developed by the Division of Public Health Services with clinical collaboration from the New Hampshire Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, is available at many pediatric health care provider offices and as a free download at leadfreekidsnh.org/happy-healthy-lead-free-me-resources."

• April 8, 2022. City to host grant awareness event, 'Chipper's Party'. "The Council Bluffs Community Development Department will host “Chipper’s Party,” an educational, family-oriented event to increase awareness about the City’s Lead Hazard Reduction Grant Program. Chipper’s Party will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on May 9 at the Council Bluffs Public Library, 400 Willow Ave., in Meeting Room B. Chipper, the program’s mascot, is chipping in to help prevent lead poisoning in Council Bluffs, the city said in a release. Chipper’s Party will feature educational activity stations, prizes, raffles, cotton candy, popcorn, a coloring mural, face painting, balloons and a photo booth with Chipper. The event is free and designed for kids under the age of 6. Siblings are welcome."

• April 6, 2022. Daily Yonder. Commentary: What Rural America Can Learn from Puerto Rico About Boosting Vaccination Rates. "Medical and healthcare professionals in rural areas of America need to consistently be out and among the populations who live in the areas that they serve.  These “meet and greets”, Q&As, and presentations can include city council and school board meetings; get-togethers at churches, libraries, schools, and popular restaurants; town halls; and appearances at major centers of employment.  Webinars should also be available for residents who wouldn’t be able to attend in-person events."

• April 11, 2022. KCUR. Known to be toxic for a century, lead still poisons thousands of Midwestern kids. Not much new here, but powerful stories and photos.

• April 12, 2022. Penn Today. Lead toxicity risk factors in Philadelphia. "Two studies identify factors that correlate with high blood-lead levels in children, pointing to ongoing environmental justice issues that disproportionately fall on children of color and poorer communities in the city."

• April 11, 2022. Great Lakes News. State praised for vow to remove sources of lead from Benton Harbor homes. "The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday announced a goal to remove lead from every affected home in the city — a move that could protect thousands of people from sources of lead potentially more dangerous than the pipes that have taken center stage in the city’s more than three year water contamination crisis." 

• April 12, 2022. LouisvilleKY.gov. Councilwoman Chambers Armstrong files ordinance to create Lead Abatement Program. "The program would encompass older rental properties in Jefferson County. Councilwoman Cassie Chambers Armstrong (D-8) hosted a press conference on Tuesday, April 12, to announce she filed an ordinance that would create a Lead Abatement Program for all rental properties in Jefferson County. The councilwoman explained that the ordinance, if passed by Metro Council, would require landlords to remove all lead-based hazards from rental properties in an effort to protect the health of Louisville’s children. Councilwoman Cindi Fowler (D-14) is also sponsoring the legislation." More here.

• APRIL 2022. ABELL REPORTS. Evaluating the Cost of Lead Hazard Control and Abatement in Baltimore City. 

• Apr 15, 2022. Olean Times Herald. Olean woman fined $600 for failure to remediate lead paint. "An Olean woman was fined $600 by the Cattaraugus County Board of Health on Wednesday for failing to remediate a hazardous lead paint problem in her home over two years. Administrative judge David Porter, who held a hearing on the charges March 8, recommended a $300 fine be doubled after respondent Traci Ellis of Reed Street failed to attend."

• April 14, 2022. WSJM. Federal Legislation Would Seek To Replace Lead Water Lines. "Congressman Dan Kildee has announced new bipartisan legislation designed to protect families from lead in drinking water. The Get the Lead out of Assisted Housing Act would help protect families living in federally assisted housing from lead exposure by requiring the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to inspect for lead service lines. 'It would require us to inventory where those lead lines are to determine exactly how expansive it is beyond that, and then fix the problem,” Kildee said. “It’s a big enough problem that it will take a lot of money to fix it.' Kildee says there’s no safe level of lead and the Flint water crisis taught us that we can’t take the safety of our drinking water for granted. His bill would also create a grant program for local and state governments to address lead contamination and mandate that homes found to have lead paint be checked for lead in water."

• APR 16, 2022. News-Press NOW. High rates of lead poisoning found in Missouri children. " 'If I were to give you an example, if you took a sugar packet and dumped it out and divided it in half and did that again, again and again, you would be down to the last little five or six little grains of sugar. That’s all the lead dust that it takes to elevate a child,” Campbell said."

• More Lead Detected In Water Of Pearl Harbor Schools, Home
  April 14, 2022. Honolulu Civil Beat. The Navy said there are no indications of "system-wide impacts."News Partner. "Lead has again been detected in water samples taken from three Pearl Harbor area locations, including schools for young children, the Navy announced on Thursday."

• Apr 16, 2022. Newser. If Landlords and Insurers Aren't Liable for Lead Paint, Who Is? "A Virginia real estate developer was on a Caribbean vacation when he learned a tenant had won a $2 million judgement against him over lead paint poisoning. 'Bummer,' the man thought, recounts Ellen Gabler for the New York Times, 'How am I going to get out of this?' According to the tenant's lawyer, the developer played a 'corporate shell game,' selling and distributing his assets through his web of LLCs. The tenant, wearied by the litigation, agreed to a $140,000 settlement. Half went to lawyers and the other half into a trust for the disabled child at the heart of the case. As Gabler writes, this is common practice across America, and it's a situation worsened by the fact that many insurers no longer include lead in their policies."

• APR 16, 2022. Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Ashley Comans: Wilkinsburg needs a better water authority. "Just a few months earlier, I rallied outside the WPJWA with the Our Water Campaign, demanding the board form a community lead response advisory committee, provide responsive, effective customer assistance, and commit to address high lead levels in the water. As ratepayers, we are customers paying for a service. Is the service we are paying for lead-poisoned water, uncommunicative authority officials, irregular billing and abrupt shut-offs with no notice?"

• April 17, 2022. Liberation News Newspaper of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Lead poisoning response in Cleveland provides funds to landlords, but none for victims. "Grassroots organizers have begun filling the gaps left by the government and elites in Cleveland. Undivided Cleveland, a lead advocacy group focused on lead poisoning victims, has been working with Chartela and helping her family get the resources needed to have a stable living situation. 'We want everybody tuned in with Chartela, to see what can be done,” said Tanis Quach, an organizer with Undivided Cleveland. 'There are countless people living with lead poisoning here. We want to create a system to help family after family … There are masses of people who want to get involved, who just are not aware.' "

• Apr. 18, 2022. Cleveland.com. Cleveland Heights mayor touts Lead Safe initiative in first quarterly ‘State of the City’ update. 'Lead paint is a huge threat to children -- it impedes their cognitive development,' Seren said. 'The city has a moral obligation to implement a solution that works for all of us, including homeowners and landlords who might need help paying for lead paint removal.' With that in mind, council has scheduled a public hearing for 7:30 p.m. April 25 dealing with lead safety certification in order to hear from all parties concerned."

• Apr. 18, 2022. Cleveland.com. EPA administrator, HUD secretary tout federal investments in lead remediation during Cleveland visit "U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan Monday pointed to the high rates of lead poisoning among Cleveland children, particularly minority kids living in poverty, as an 'unacceptable' harm that the federal government is attempting to fix through the bipartisan infrastructure bill."

• April 18, 2022. Ideastream. Cleveland has the money to address the city's lead problem. Now what to do about it? "Local groups, including Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing, had previously called on the Bibb administration to appoint a "lead czar" to speed up the lead abatement in the city and screen more children for lead. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 34% fewer children had their blood lead levels screened in 2020 compared to 2019." More here

• April 21, 2022. Canton Repository Lead Safe Canton has one project done, many to go. "About a year after Lead Safe Canton began, the city has completed only one lead abatement project. Community Development Director Rollin Seward said people might have been hesitant to invite inspectors and contractors into their homes amidst the pandemic. But he encourages more residents to apply for the city's lead and other housing programs. 'We have money to spend,' Seward said."

• April 18, 2022. Newport Daily News. As more children in Newport test positive for lead poisoning, here's what the city is doing. "Children in the city tested positive for lead poisoning at a higher rate last year than in neighboring communities, Councilor Lynn Underwood Ceglie told her fellow Newport Council members Wednesday evening. That's why she sponsored a resolution to boost the city’s enforcement and prevention efforts when it comes to lead paint and pipes in local homes. The measure passed on a 6-1 vote. 'We need to look at this in a comprehensive way because 20 children (positive for lead poisoning in 2021) out of 260 (tested) is too many,” Ceglie said. “It’s come to the attention of the state, and I think we need to do a better job of making sure landlords have their certificates.' ”

• Apr 18, 2022. KPVI. Bipartisan effort aims to eradicate lead from public housing across US. "U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., and the two Democratic senators representing Illinois are partnering to protect public housing residents in both states, and across the country, from potential lead contamination in their homes. The bipartisan group of lawmakers recently filed the "Get the Lead Out of Assisted Housing Act" to give the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) more tools to identify and remediate lead in paint, water pipes and other areas."

• 19 April 2022. Orleans Hub. Health Dept. warns that lead exposure increases in spring, summer. "Lastly, many home improvements begin in the spring and summer. Renovations to areas of the home containing lead-based paint can put lead dust into the air, both inside and outside of the area being worked on. Lead dust can also collect on windowsills and in window wells. On warm days when the window is open, lead dust in these areas can blow into the house."

• APR. 19, 2022. Spectrum News. Buffalo Public Schools addresses possible lead exposure. "Buffalo Public Schools Interim Superintendent Dr. Tonja Williams announced the Buffalo Lead Free Initiative intended to help children get tested for possible lead poisoning. The announcement comes as the district’s retired chief engineer, James Reid, filed a complaint with the state Attorney General’s Office, alleging the director of plant services ordered 'pre-stagnation flushing' of water lines ahead of lead testing, which is against New York state laws. Williams said the district denies allegations of pre-stagnation flushing. The district’s director of health and safety, Yvette Gordon, said all protocols were followed when any lead was found in water samples." More here.

• April 20, 2022 90. 5 WESA. American Rescue Plan dollars go towards replacing hundreds of lead lines in Pittsburgh. "Workers remove a lead service line in Highland Park and replace with it with one made out of plastic. The Pittsburgh Water and Sewage Authority says it wants to replace all public lead lines in the city by 2026. The American Rescue Plan is funding the replacement of some 750 public lead lines in Pittsburgh, according to the Pittsburgh Water and Sewage Authority. The money for this $17 million project comes out of the City of Pittsburgh’s pot of $355 million it was allotted from last year’s $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package.

• Apr 20, 2022. Fox 59. IUPUI and nonprofit team up to tackle one of the most dangerous threats to kids: Lead poisoning. "IUPUI and the nonprofit ‘Keep Indianapolis Beautiful’ are working together to tackle one of the most dangerous threats to children– lead poisoning. An estimated 3.6 million American homes with at least one child have significant lead hazards.
  That’s why ‘Keep Indianapolis Beautiful’ and IUPUI are launching a lead pilot program. And they just received a $10,000 grant from CareSource Indiana to get started."

• APRIL 21, 2022 WFYI. Can greenspaces mitigate lead exposure? A new study aims to find out. "What was once an abandoned lot on Indianapolis’ Far Eastside is now home to newly planted trees, vegetable beds and walking paths. The rehabbed lot is part of a pilot project and research study to determine if transforming these spaces can mitigate lead exposure. The study, led by researchers at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, will examine whether the newly placed mulch, plants and grasses will decrease people’s likelihood of interacting with the contaminated soil. Researchers have periodically taken soil samples at the lot to test them for the presence of lead. The results of this study could determine the locations of future green spaces."

• APRIL 21. 2022. Gig Harbor News. Data on lead in Donkey Creek slows to a trickle."Donkey Creek is an unprepossessing-looking stream, but glamour isn’t everything. The small salmon-bearing creek is well-known and well-liked by locals and visitors. The waterway takes an annual star turn when fish fans venture to its banks for the Donkey Creek Chum Festival, a celebration of the salmons’ return to the stream where they were born, to spawn and die. Many locals may not know that Donkey Creek — and North Creek, a prime stream originating just uphill — figure prominently in 20-year-long efforts to measure and mitigate lead poisoning of threatened habitats for salmon, the Pacific Northwest’s totemic fish."

• April 21, 2022. WFYI. Young backs bill to protect public housing residents from lead in drinking water. "U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) is sponsoring a bill to protect people living in public housing from lead in drinking water. Among other things, the proposed bill – Get the Lead Out of Assisted Housing Act – would require those who maintain public housing to test for lead, notify residents if it was found, and help reduce their lead exposure through things like water filters. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) would also have to test drinking water as part of grant programs to clean up homes with lead paint. It would also prohibit the agency from allowing partial lead pipe replacements. Debbie Chizewer is the managing attorney for the group Earthjustice for their Midwest office. She said a lot of federally-assisted housing has too many exposures to lead — not only in the drinking water and paint, but in the soil around many of the homes."

• April 24. 2022. KCRG. EPA fines Missouri home renovators for alleged lead-based paint violations. "Two Missouri home renovation companies have agreed to pay almost $10,000 collectively in penalties to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to resolve alleged violations of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act. According to EPA, Swedlund Construction LLC of St. Louis and Rozell Siding and Windows Inc. of Springfield failed to comply with regulations intended to reduce the hazards of lead-based paint exposure during renovations. In both cases, EPA alleged that the companies failed to obtain EPA renovator certification and failed to assign a certified renovator prior to performing renovations. EPA says that Swedlund Construction also failed to comply with multiple safety practices while performing renovations, such as containing the spread of renovation dust and debris as well as warning occupants and other people to remain outside the worksite. Rozell Siding and Windows also failed to provide notification of renovation requirements to property owners and failed to maintain required paperwork, according to EPA."

• APRIL 25, 2022 CBS LOS ANGELES Concerns over lead contamination at Jordan High School in Watts prompts new coalition. "Educators and community leaders announced a new coalition with the aim to end what they said is a possible lead contamination risk to students at Jordan High School in Watts from a nearby scrapyard. Jordan High has been in Watts since 1923 and it's neighbor, S&W Atlas Iron and Metal Company, has been there for the last 26 years. 'Here's where the poison is. Here's where the threat is. This is no longer a misperception,' said Tim Watkins, President and CEO of Watts Action Committee. "

• APRIL 25, 2022. Missouri Independent.  Missouri Senate overwhelmingly approves bill requiring schools test, filter water for lead. Missouri would stand apart from Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska by requiring testing and remediation. Schools in Missouri would be required to test drinking water for lead, and install filters if it’s above safe levels, under a bill that won near-unanimous approval Monday in the state Senate."

• Apr 26 2022 VT Digger. Rutland landlord admits in court that residential properties violate lead law. A Rutland landlord has admitted to violating the state’s lead law after two of his child tenants were found to have lead poisoning. The landlord, John Ruggiero, acknowledged the civil violation in a court settlement with the state, according to Rutland Superior Court records. Superior Judge Helen Toor approved the settlement agreement on April 18 and ordered Ruggiero to undertake several actions, including immediately bringing several rental properties into compliance with the lead law and not renting any noncompliant vacant units until they comply. Ruggiero was also ordered to pay the state a civil penalty of $3,000. He could be liable for an additional $7,000 if he does not follow the court orders. "

• APRIL 27, 2022. Star Tribune. Minneapolis officials say it's time to take lead out of homes. "Mayor Jacob Frey announced that more than 3,000 school-age children, the majority of whom are students of color, have been poisoned by lead. [...]  in 2021, the number of new children with lead poisoning rose 15% from the year before, the first increase in a decade, partly because families stayed home more during the pandemic, Mayor Jacob Frey said during his State of the City address earlier this week. In 2021, about 90 Minneapolis children tested positive for lead, according to city officials. And that increase came as fewer children were getting tested amid the pandemic. The mayor wants to spend $3 million of the city's remaining $43 million federal pandemic relief money to end childhood lead poisoning in Minneapolis by 2035."

• April 30, 2022. Morristown Daily Record. Parsippany taps residents to inspect, self-report lead pipes in their homes. "Parsippany is one of several towns directing residents to inspect and report possible lead pipes in their water-service lines following a new state law to eliminate the toxic metal from its water supply by 2031. 'Your participation is needed,' reads a survey recently mailed to all Parsippany residents. The four-page survey includes detailed steps and illustrations for residents to follow to inspect their lines for lead or galvanized steel that may contain lead."

March 2022 News

• March 1, 2022. WESA. Pittsburgh moves forward with rental property inspection program "Pittsburgh landlords will soon have to register their rental properties and submit to regular inspects by the city under a new program, officials announced Tuesday. The program, which was approved by City Council in November, will begin to take shape in May. Structures built prior to 1978 — or structures with portions built before that time — will also be inspected for lead dust."

• 25 Feb 2022. TNJ Channel 4 News via Youtube. Potentially thousands of children in WI are falling behind in lead testing. "A test that detects lead poisoning in children has been under recall for seven months. It means more children, especially those at-risk of lead poisoning, have missed getting lead tested." This is a really important story!

• March 1, 2022. Daily Call. Schenectady County creating new position to address concerns over lead. "SCHENECTADY — Months after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lowered its standard for blood lead levels in children 5 and under, the Schenectady County Legislature on Monday took the first step in hiring a specialist to handle an expected increase in children testing for elevated levels of lead. The CDC in October lowered the allowable blood lead level standard from 5 micrograms per deciliter of blood to 3.5, a move that would allow more children between the ages of 1 and 5 with lead in their system to receive treatment and give local health departments the ability to locate and remediate the source of exposure.  “ 'Protecting children from exposure to lead is important to lifelong good health. No safe blood lead level in children has been identified,' the CDC wrote in its decision to lower the levels. 'Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to reduce a child’s learning capacity, ability to pay attention, and academic achievement.' The new standard comes at a time when testing for lead has dropped significantly due to the pandemic, an issue exacerbated last year by a recall issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration pertaining to a device commonly used by doctors to test for elevated blood lead levels. The device provided results within minutes using either a finger or heel prick. Without it, parents seeking to have their children tested for lead must travel to a 3rd-party lab to have a sample drawn through a vein, which has created barriers for those lacking transportation, according to Erin Roberts, a spokeswoman for Schenectady County Public Health. A new device has since hit the market but is still not widely available due to supply-chain issues." 

• March 3, 2022. Fox61. Lamont proposes legislation to fight childhood lead poisoning. "The proposed legislation will help reduce risks associated with lead poisoning in children. The bill would have the Connecticut Department of Public Health to require more frequent testing of children living in cities and towns where exposure to lead is most common. Officials say these changes will ensure that families with children who have unsafe blood levels receive educational materials, inspection and home repairs for the children's homes and required care for the children with unsafe blood levels. About $70 million in funding will come from the American Rescue Act, which was passed by Congress last year to help the country's recover from the pandemic. This project will use local contractors and help municipal costs associated with lead poisoning and help property owners and landlords in vulnerable communities practice lead abatement before a child is harmed."

• MARCH 2, 2022. Kaiser Health News. Dangerous Levels of Lead Were Found in the Water of About Half the Schools Tested in Montana. "About half of Montana schools that had tested their water by mid-February under a new state rule had high levels of lead, according to state data. But the full picture isn’t clear because fewer than half of the state’s school buildings had provided water samples six weeks after the deadline."

• March 3, 2022. Construction workers may unknowingly bring home toxic metals. "Beyond the well-known danger of lead, construction workers may unintentionally pick up other harmful, toxic metals at work and inadvertently bring them home. The Harvard Take Home Study evaluated samples collected in 30 homes of workers living with a child in the greater Boston area to identify potential home exposure.  Construction workers' homes had higher levels of arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, manganese, nickel and tin when compared to janitorial and auto workers in the study. Lead poisoning in children that results from dust unknowingly brought home by a worker is commonly called 'take home exposure.' But workers can bring other metals home, and there are no clear guidelines to gauge the safety levels of those metals even though they can cause health problems."

• Mar. 28, 2022. cleveland.com. Cuyahoga County announces another $30.6 million in ARPA spending. "$1.8 million to bolster the county’s lead mitigation efforts. Over 80 percent of county homes were built before 1978, meaning they could have remnants of lead paint. As the paint ages and cracks, it releases lead dust that can cause serious and permanent harm to a child’s development. The county has already committed $4 million over five years to help educate the community about the dangers of lead paint, but the additional funding will help with remediation efforts."

• Mar. 28, 2022. cleveland.com. Mayor Justin Bibb seeks to create Center for Economic Recovery, where outside strategists would help guide Cleveland’s use of historic federal aid, "*Next, the Center would evaluate those ideas. The evaluation would be guided by the mayor’s spending priorities. Davy said Bibb would choose what broad, systemic problems he’d want to address with the money, and the Center would determine which proposals could help tackle them. The Center would score proposals using “objective criteria.” (One example might be lead poisoning. The mayor would identify that as one of his priorities, and the Center would determine which proposals would most effectively prevent such poisoning.)"

• February 25, 2022. YouTube. How to Pass the Cleveland Lead Paint Inspection & Get Lead Safe Certification | Ask James Wise 57 "In the 57th episode of The Ask James Wise Show, Cleveland landlord and HoltonWise CEO James Wise explains the 10 step process a Cleveland landlord needs to go through to obtain a Cleveland lead based paint certificate for all of their rental properties. If you or someone you know is a Cleveland landlord or a Cleveland area real estate agent selling rental properties in the city of Cleveland, Ohio this lead certification process applies to you." To be entirely clear, CLASH does not endorse the Holton-Wise info-promo. See this story for some insight into H-W's "credibility" 

• Apr. 01, 2022. Cleveland.com. Mayor Justin Bibb announces pick for senior lead strategist, other key hires. "Mayor Justin Bibb Friday announced three key hires in his administration: senior strategist for lead, chief ethics officer and the director of Cleveland’s Office of Equal Opportunity. "Bibb appointed Karen Dettmer to a new position overseeing his administration’s efforts on combating lead poisoning. Dettmer has worked for the Cleveland Department of Public Health since 2016, and most recently served as program manager for the city’s Lead Safe Living program, working on lead prevention efforts, lead inspection and other health initiatives. In her new role as senior strategist, Dettmer 'will focus on improving the communication and coordination across city departments responsible for addressing the lead problem as well as connecting with community outreach programs,' according to a city news release."

Around Us

•  MAR 14, 2022. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Under a new threshold, the number of Pa. children with high lead levels is expected to almost double. "With the new level of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter applied for this year, almost double the number of children across the Commonwealth are expected to test positive, said Colleen McCauley, co-chair of the Lead-Free Promise Project and health policy director for Children First."

• MARCH 28, 2022. Gothamist. After 5-month delay, NYC health department adopts new federal rules on childhood lead exposure "In 2019, the City Council passed legislation requiring the city’s health department to follow any changes in what the CDC calls its “blood lead reference value” — essentially an indicator for when local health departments should intervene to provide treatment and cut off the source of exposure. That shift came in October, when the CDC lowered its reference value from 5 micrograms per deciliter of blood to 3.5 micrograms. But New York City officials did not immediately adopt the new guidance, despite the legal requirement from the City Council. After nearly five months of public pressure by public health advocates, the New York City Health Department moved to adopt the CDC’s new reference level of 3.5 micrograms, according to a department spokesperson."

• March 29, 2022, NYT via PolitPost. How 2 Industries Stymied Justice for Young Lead Paint Victims. "As J.J. faces an uncertain future, no one has been held responsible so far — the firm that owns the home protected its assets in a tangle of limited liability companies, and the property insurer excluded lead from its coverage. These practices are now the norm across the United States, The New York Times has found, part of a decades-long campaign by the real estate and insurance industries to shield themselves from liability in lead-poisoning cases. The effort has helped allow what is often considered a problem of the past to remain a silent epidemic today." Thanks to Tris and Randy.

• March 29, 2022. Milwaukee Neighborhood News. Activists call for federal investigation into Milwaukee’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention program. "Milwaukee activists on Monday called for a federal investigation into the city’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention program following the end of a state audit that took three years to complete but reached no criminal findings." Here's more.

• March 29, 2022. Journalist Resource. How they did it: Tampa Bay Times reporters expose high airborne lead levels at Florida recycling factory "Their 18-month investigation also reveals why regulators failed to correct the problem and its impact on workers and the surrounding community. Johnson decided to look into lead in Hillsborough County public schools and reported in 2018 that school district officials had found elevated levels on some campuses but didn’t tell families for 16 months — until he began asking parents what they knew about the tests. Amid that investigation, a source handed him a state health report showing Hillsborough had the highest number of adults diagnosed with lead poisoning of any of Florida’s 67 counties. The report pointed to an unnamed battery recycler as the key culprit."

• March 30, 2022. Santa Monica Daily Press. City Council Can Curb Aircraft Lead From Poisoning Our Children. "The 2021 Santa Clara Leaded Aviation Gasoline Exposure Risk study demonstrates that children living near the Reed–Hillview Airport have toxic levels of lead in their blood.  Lead levels matching those found in kids damaged by Flint, Michigan’s infamously contaminated water supply. Yet, the City staff is now renegotiating Atlantic Aviation’s lease to permit selling leaded avgas from the City’s aging underground fuel tanks – at odds with the City Council’s November direction “to cease all storage, distribution, and sale of leaded fuel from equipment and storage tanks owned and operated by the City of Santa Monica … on or before April 1, 2022.”

• March 31, 2022. The Detroit News. State expands lead services to all Benton Harbor homes. "In-home lead investigation services can include environmental investigations to identify lead in paint, dust, soil and drinking water hazards. Sequential water sampling to identify lead in drinking water and testing of non-household components such as toys, dishes, furniture will be offered, according to the release. Lead abatement services include full abatement services for lead in paint, dust, soil and drinking water hazards. Pre-2014 bathroom and kitchen faucets used for potable water will be replaced regardless of water sampling results, state officials said."

•  Apr 1, 2022. Channel 10 News. Lead Free Kids Coalition addresses lead poisoning. "Lawmakers as well as advocates for the Lead-Free Kids Coalition are addressing childhood lead poisoning prevention. Advocates are asking for funding that would help the state solve and prevent these issues." 

• Apr 2, 2022. Eagle Times. Lovett: Preventing childhood lead poisoning — Part I. "Since Claremont established the prevention of childhood lead poisoning as a community-wide priority in 2016, much has been accomplished. Screening rates improved, earlier intervention measures were taken, and more funding became available to address lead hazards in both homes and the public water distribution system. These accomplishments can be attributed to the collaborative effort between government and the public to protect children from the neurological damage caused by lead poisoning. However, the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic has interrupted our progress. Screening rates have significantly dropped, impacting our ability to identify children who have been poisoned and prevent continued exposure. To reverse this downward trend and build upon the gains we have made, we must re-energize our efforts to protect children from lead poisoning." Author is a commissioner of a local Public Housing Authority.

• March 31, 2022. What's Up News. Opinion: It’s time to end the hazard of lead pipes. "In the interest of public health and environmental justice, we cannot wait any longer to definitively address this issue. The time has come to fully rid our water systems of lead. That’s why, with the support of the Senate’s leadership team, I’ve introduced the Lead Poisoning Prevention Act. This important legislation will give new urgency to the replacement of antiquated, unsafe lead pipes. It will help protect the health of all Rhode Islanders. Most of all, it will address a serious threat to the well-being of our children.  Author is Rhode Island Senate Majority Leader Michael J. McCaffrey. 

February 2022 News

• Feb. 01, 2022. Cleveland.com. Mayor Bibb’s 2022 budget priorities: Police reform, top-level staff, public health. "City Council received Bibb’s budget Tuesday and will commence hearings on the proposal Feb. 22. Council must make any potential changes to the plan in March and formally adopt the budget by April 1." [...] "Among them is a $1.1 million increase for the Law Department, to add 10 staff, help retain existing staff and “deliver police reform, strengthen code enforcement, settle outstanding cases and hire a Chief Ethics Officer to embed accountability." [...] "The proposal adds $2.3 million to the Department of Public Health division that handles pandemic response, which includes funding for 11 new positions, nine of which would staff two new mobile health vehicles. " [...] "As for top-level administrators, Bibb proposes spending $3.6 million on his cabinet – up from the $1.6 million Jackson spent in 2021 as he wound down his term and his top staffers departed City Hall. Bibb is shaking up the structure of the mayor’s office and has hired (or intends to hire) several new positions. That includes senior strategists to address lead-poisoning, racial equity, transparency, and the West Side Market." Items in BOLD represent CLASH priorities for 2022. Thanks to Andre for sharing this article.

• February 2, 1923 -- Ethyl gasoline 1st marketed, Dayton, Ohio.  Unfortunately, leaded gasoline proved harmful for the environment, and today leaded fuel is no longer used.

• Jan. 30, 2022. Lehigh Valley Live. ‘Northampton County is the next Flint, Michigan’: Action urged on lead poisoning risk. "Community advocates and a Lehigh Valley housing official joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers last week in calling for more action to protect children and families from lead poisoning. The Lead-Free Promise Project and United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley on Thursday night hosted a virtual family information session following a news conference, seeking to outline the risks and what can be done."

• Lead exposure can cause a host of health problems and is considered especially dangerous for young children because it can slow development and cause other troubles.

• JANUARY 30, 2022. After decades of lead poisoning, many suspicious of tap water as U.S. looks to improve infrastructure. "Already, 20% of adults nationally say they don’t drink tap water — filtered or not — up from 14% before the Flint crisis, according to a study of federal survey data. The figures are higher among Black adults, with 35% saying they avoid drinking tap, up from 25% before Flint. Among Hispanic adults, the figure rose to 38%, up from 27%. That distrust can translate to unnecessary spending on bottled water or make it more likely that adults reach for sugary drinks that can increase the risk of health problems such as diabetes and cavities, said Asher Rosinger, a Pennsylvania State University researcher who studies water access."

• February 02, 2022. Duluth Tribune News. Minnesota lawmakers hear dangers of lead water pipes, ammunition. "More than 40 years after the U.S. started to phase lead out of gasoline and paint because of its destructive health impacts, especially on children, lead poisoning remains an ongoing problem for both human and wildlife health. That was the message given to Minnesota lawmakers Wednesday during a virtual meeting of the Minnesota House Preventive Health Policy Division at the Capitol in St. Paul. Representatives heard testimony on two bills already introduced that would help homeowners pay to replace lead water pipes in their homes and to require hunters to use nontoxic, lead-free ammunition." For the record, Ohio has a tax credit for lead abatement improvements...including replacing lead service lines.

• Feb 2, 2022 WIVB. Banks put up $3.1 million to help low-income landlords ‘get the lead out’. A local partnership is stepping up to help small landlords get the lead out of their apartments. The bottom line for these private and public leaders is protecting children from lead poisoning. The City of Buffalo and Erie County are leveraging an $800,000 grant from Attorney General Letitia James to establish a $3 million revolving loan fund for small and low-income landlords after the attorney general reached a settlement with a group of landlords and property owners. 'The most important thing we can do in a community is protect our children,' said Rev. Kinzer Pointer, Liberty Missionary Baptist Church."

January 2022 News

• January 24, 2022. Facility Executive. Lead-Based Paint Rule Responsibility Of Property Managers, Affirms EPA. "Property management companies that perform, offer, or claim to perform regulated renovations in pre-1978 housing or child-occupied facilities are required to obtain certification from the EPA and ensure renovations are performed by certified firms and employees. On January 21, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will proceed on March 21, 2022 to withdraw previously published answers to two Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) concerning property management companies and their compliance responsibility under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Lead Renovation Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule. With the withdrawal of these FAQs, EPA affirms that property management companies (PMCs) that perform, offer, or claim to perform regulated renovations in pre-1978 housing or child-occupied facilities are required to obtain certification from the EPA and ensure that renovations in the homes they manage are performed by certified firms and employees trained to use lead-safe work practices. Withdrawing the PMC FAQs signals that EPA plans to hold both the PMCs and the contractors they hire responsible for compliance if the circumstances indicate that both entities performed or offered to perform renovations for compensation in target housing or child-occupied facilities." Under the Cleveland Lead Safe Certificate Law, the Cleveland Department of Public Health is responsible for enforcing RRP standards.

• JANUARY 26TH, 2022. Washington City Paper. Gas Leaks, Mold, and Lead Poisoning Top Concerns at DOEE Hearing. "...D.C. is at risk of losing federal grant funding, including the lead remediation grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Zeisel demanded that the committee ensure that DOEE prioritize residents most at risk of lead poisoning. She urged the Council to reintroduce and pass a 2019 bill to further protect residents from lead contamination. The bill is designed to ensure more careful and frequent housing inspections and greater enforcement of landlord compliance with lead regulations."

• January 25, 2022. The Independent. Mother of hospitalised boy shares drawing of superhero taking on ‘lead monster’ with Kamala Harris. Deanna Branch’s son has been poisoned twice by leaking lead pipes. ‘Too many little boys and girls are going through (what my son) went through’ she tells VP. Vice President Kamala Harris visited Milwaukee to promote the $1 trillion infrastructure bill on Monday Activist Deanna Branch said her son’s illness had inspired him to create the picture book as she introduced Ms Harris to a crowd at the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership/BIG STEP program in west Milwaukee on Monday."  More here.

• January 26, 2022 Plainsmen Post  Families spend thousands on bottled water as floors have dangerous levels of lead. "Tenants at Dorchester Court in south London were petrified and forced to shell out for bottled water after reports showed lead levels far beyond the legal limit. Families living in a property in south London say they are living in fear and relying on bottled water after several flats reported lead levels several times above the legal limit. Tenants at Dorchester Court, a private property of about 300 residents, discovered last week that drinking water from two floors tested had levels of lead several times higher than legally allowed."

• January 24, 2022. KPIX. Public Awareness Campaign Shows Dangers Of Lead Fuel On Children Living Near Reid-Hillview Airport. "Raising public awareness about the dangerous combination of leaded airplane fuel at San Jose’s Reid-Hillview Airport and the children who live nearby is the goal of a new outreach and education campaign in Santa Clara County. 'The privileged few keep flying their airplanes. The difference is their children are not being subjected to any of this poison,' says Maria Reyes, a spokesperson for the Cassell Neighborhood Association." Has anyone checked lead levels along Burke Lakefront's landing zone?

• January 26, 2022. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A community-based program is offering Milwaukee's pregnant women free water delivery to avoid lead poisoning. "Milwaukee's Get the Lead Out Coalition is offering pregnant Milwaukee residents who live in homes with lead laterals the chance to have drinking water delivered to their home for free. The Clean Water for Pregnant People program was initiated last year out of concerns the coronavirus pandemic was overshadowing the city's lead poisoning crisis, according to Robert Penner, who is on the coalition's steering committee." Water filters are another approach.

• January 27, 2022. Chicago Crusader. South Side homeowners tired of drinking water tainted with lead. "South Side homeowners are up in arms over the city’s alleged failure to provide them with lead-free water, including one family being forced to drink tainted water because they cannot afford to pay for water filters. Vircy Spight-Harris, a 6th Ward resident, and Marguerite Bien-Aime, a Chicago Public School teacher, are asking that the city remove the water meters they say are giving them water that is allegedly tainted with lead."

• January 20, 2022. Planet Detroit. Michigan families navigate scarce resources when seeking help for lead-poisoned kids.

• December 9, 2021. Planet Detroit. Sweeping set of bills tackling child lead exposure discussed in Michigan House 

• Jan 3, 2022. EHS Daily. Time to Get the Lead Out. "On December 16, 2021, the Biden-Harris administration released its Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan (LPPAP), which includes a commitment to replace all lead pipes in America within a decade. The plan details the release of $2.9 billion in infrastructure funding and an announcement of upcoming stricter EPA enforcement to protect public health. In conjunction with the White House announcement, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan committed all available EPA tools, including statutory authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), technical assistance, and funding, to protect all Americans from lead in drinking water."

• Jan. 03, 2022, Spectrum News. Local public health officials urge funding boost. "The New York State Association of County Health Officials on Sunday evening began the push as state officials, from Gov. Kathy Hochul to members of the state Legislature, prepare a new state budget expected to pass in the next three months. The money would be spent on the response to the pandemic, but also chronic disease prevention, emergency preparedness, environmental health and drinking water supply such as child lead poisoning prevention, as well as maternal and childhood health and community health assessment."

• JAN 4, 2022. post-journal.com. Lower Lead Poisoning Level Proposed "Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez, D-Bronx, recently introduced A.8564 in the state Assembly to bring the state Public Health Law’s definition of elevated lead levels into line with new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention levels recommended in October."

• January 4, 2022. Environmental Defense Fund. An environmental justice case study: how lead pipe replacement programs favor wealthier residents. "Dr. Karen Baehler and her team at American University’s Center for Environmental Policy, with support from EDF, recently published a peer-reviewed case study highlighting the environmental justice issues that arise when water utilities require property owners to pay when they replace lead service lines (LSLs) that connect homes to the water main under the street. Our experience indicates that the vast majority of the 11,000+ water utilities in the U.S. engage in this practice. Based on the findings, these utilities need to reconsider their programs as they address the more than 9 million LSLs nationwide.  The study found that Washington, DC residents in low-income neighborhoods between 2009-2018 were significantly less likely than those in wealthier neighborhoods to pay for a full LSL replacement and, therefore, had an increased risk of harm from lead exposure from a partial LSL replacement."

• Jan. 6, 2022. Associated Press. Groups File Complaint Against Water Utility Over Lead Pipes. "PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Five environmental and community groups have filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency alleging the Providence Water Supply Board's infrastructure and lead pipe replacement work disproportionately increases the risk of lead exposure for residents of color. 'All families deserve lead-free drinking water, regardless of race, class, or any other factor,' Childhood Lead Action Project Executive Director Laura Brion said in a statement Wednesday. 'Right now, ProvWater will only fully replace lead pipes for property owners with enough money to pay out of pocket or take out a loan. This amounts to obvious race and class discrimination and needs to stop.' ”  

• Jan. 7, 2022. Oregon Public Broadcasting. Oregon wants quick fix to high lead levels in Portland’s water. "Since the late 1990s, samples have shown Portland exceeding the federal safety threshold for lead 11 times. In 2017, after Portland had once again surpassed that threshold, OHA required the water bureau to build a corrosion control treatment facility, according to Salis’ letter. Water from the Bull Run watershed is naturally corrosive, which can cause lead from copper plumbing and fixtures to leech into people’s homes. By building a facility to make Portland’s water less corrosive, the bureau expects to reduce the amount of lead dissolving from old plumbing into stagnant water. The facility is slated to be completed by April."

• January 7, 2022. Rochester City News. City seeks $5 million in COVID relief for lead paint removal.
  "The city of Rochester is looking to use $5 million in state COVID relief funds to remove lead paint in low-income housing. Legislation introduced by former Mayor James Smith calls for the city to apply for a Community Block Development grant funded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Security (CARES) Act of 2020. The money would be earmarked to support lead removal efforts for small residential buildings. Buildings would qualify if they were built before 1978, had one to four units, and had tenants making less than 50 percent of the area median income, or about $40,000 for a family of four. Landlords receiving a grant to rehab their property would be required to continue renting to that demographic for at least five years. The money would only be available to tenant-occupied properties." Tenant protections in Rochester, home of lead safe housing in the US.

• January 9, 2022. WTOL. Ohio, Michigan to receive close to half a billion dollars for water infrastructure projects. "The city of Toledo has already made plans to replace lead service lines on homeowner's property using COVID-19 relief money." 

• January 12, 2022. Ideastream. Cleveland Mayor Bibb retains predecessor's safety director, announces new cabinet hires. "The mayor hired Sally Martin, who is well known among Northeast Ohio housing advocates, as the city’s director of building and housing. Martin currently serves in that role in the suburb of South Euclid. Bibb’s pick to lead the community development department, Alyssa Hernandez, comes to Cleveland City Hall by way of Florida. There, she managed federal disaster relief block grant dollars within the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Martin and Hernandez will report to Jeff Epstein, whom Bibb hired as chief of integrated development. Epstein led MidTown Cleveland, the community development corporation that works in neighborhoods between Downtown and University Circle."

• January 13, 2022  Ideastream. The Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition reached that milestone thanks to a $50 million commitment from the Cleveland Clinic and a pledge from the city to spend $17 million in federal stimulus dollars. "Mayor Justin Bibb, Council President Blaine Griffin, Cleveland Clinic CEO Tom Mihaljevic and United Way CEO Augie Napoli announced the fundraising haul at City Hall Thursday afternoon. For years, the city distributed limited funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development only after a child tested positive for lead poisoning in a home. The city’s new lead certification program, passed in 2018, is meant to proactively clear lead hazards from rentals before a child gets sick. Preventing lead poisoning, which causes cognitive damage in children, can lead to more health care savings down the road, Mihaljevic said. 'I cannot think of a greater return on investment for any public healthcare issue in this country than lead poisoning,....  But this is really not about saving money. This is about saving children and our communities.' ”

• January 11, 2022. Newswise. University Hospitals makes $1.2 million ‘Community Health Investment’ in Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition. 'UH’s investment will go entirely toward the Coalition’s Lead Safe Home Fund. The Lead Safe Home Fund is a first-of-its-kind pool of resources to help families and property owners make their homes lead safe. UH’s investment, along with investments from the public sector, private sector, and philanthropic partners brings the total pool of funds to $47.3 million over the next 5 years."

• Jan 10, 2022. Environmental Health News. Stirring up lead dust in NYC housing: “You can have the best law on the books. But if it's not enforced, it's meaningless.” [   [ "On a crisp Thursday afternoon in October, the 300 block of East 12th Street in Manhattan’s East Village became loud. 'Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!' Chants erupted. 'Housing is a human right!' The roughly two dozen protesters were concerned with lead dust and other unsafe living conditions stirred up by ongoing construction. Holding homemade signs, they stood against the backdrop of a red brick apartment building, which many call home. Months prior, the building’s landlord, Silverstone Property Group – part of the mega-billion real estate private equity firm Madison Realty Capital – began knocking down walls and merging apartments to phase out rent-stabilized units, a process people refer to as 'Frankensteining.' "

• January 11, 2022 BROOKLYN READER. Bushwick Subway Stations Contain Hazardous Levels of Lead, Local Business Owner Says. "A Brooklyn business owner is demanding that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority address hazardous levels of lead he says he discovered in rusted paint chips from multiple JMZ elevated subway structures in Bushwick. Salvatore Polizzi, co-owner of Tony’s Pizzeria and Restaurant on Knickerbocker Avenue, said that after 20 years of neglect by the MTA and 'rust on the structure that’s been eating away at the steel,' he took corroded paint chips off the ground from around the Myrtle-Wyckoff, Myrtle Avenue/Broadway and Knickerbocker Avenue stations and had them tested in July 2020 at an independent lab."

• January 12, 2022. CityLand. HPD Changes to Stricter Definition of Lead-Based Paint, Expecting Increase in Lead Violations. "The reduction is expected to lead to an increase of surfaces found with lead and an increase in violations issued. On December 30, 2021, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) announced a change in the standard defining what paint counts as “lead-based,” creating the strictest standard in the nation. The new definition amends the concentration of lead found in paint allowed from 1.0 milligrams of lead per square centimeter of paint or similar surface coating to only 0.5 milligrams, cutting the allowable amounts of lead found in paint in half."

• Jan. 13, 2022. NBC. ‘Tenants have no choice’: Racism in urban planning fuels high rate of Black fire deaths. "As leaders shift blame from electric space heaters to overcrowded housing in the wake of deadly fires in both the Bronx, New York and Philadelphia, experts say the true culprit is poor residential conditions and the racism rife in the nation’s urban planning and infrastructure decisions."

• Thursday, January 13, 2022. Press Release. United States Sues Renovation Firms And Their Principals For Violating Lead-Based Paint Safety Regulations. "The Complaint filed today in Manhattan federal court alleges that the CISNE Defendants repeatedly failed to use legally required safety precautions when renovating apartments that are presumed by law to contain lead paint because they were built prior to 1978.  EPA and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene inspectors observed that the CISNE Defendants failed to contain debris and dust during their work, creating exposure hazards.  Construction dust was found not just in the units being worked on, but also in the public hallways accessible to other building residents.  Testing demonstrated that dust exceeded both local and federal safety standards.  The CISNE Defendants also failed to post warning signs at these jobs or take other steps required by law to protect tenants and workers.  In all of this, the CISNE Defendants risked exposing tenants and workers to lead paint dust and violated TSCA and the RRP Rule."

• 17 Jan 2022. Guardian. Revealed: the Flint water poisoning charges that never came to light.  "The former criminal prosecution team investigating the Flint water crisis was building a racketeering case against state officials. Then the team was dismantled."

December 2021 news

• Nov. 29, 2021, Cleveland,com. Cleveland City Council approves broad categories for spending $121 million in federal stimulus; Mayor Frank Jackson ‘disappointed’ specific projects not included "Council voted to support the legislation – a four-page document outlining the large dollar amounts for each category and naming a dozen spending areas, including housing and economic development projects, emergency rental and food assistance programs, small business development programs and investments in the Lead Safe Housing Fund, among others." Wait, there's more: "McCormack said he expects council to adopt some of Jackson’s proposals, while some will be up for further scrutiny and perhaps replaced with other projects. McCormack pointed out that Jackson’s plan only included $5 million for lead-safe housing, and he would like to instead see $17.5 million go toward the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition."

• December 2, 2021. WKYC TV3. Former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton is a member of Cleveland Mayor-elect Justin Bibb's transition team. Cleveland Mayor-elect Justin Bibb's transition team includes a familiar face for many Ohioans. On Wednesday, Bibb announced a 75-person transition team consisting of "emerging and experienced leaders," including former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton. Another positive step towards reforming CDPH.

• Dec. 05, 2021. Cleveland.com. Cleveland seeking to award $2M to financially troubled NEON Health Services using pandemic relief money: Stimulus Watch. "Cleveland City Council on Monday could pass legislation to award $2 million from the city’s pandemic relief funds to a nonprofit agency that pays its CEO more than $500,000, despite financial trouble that predates the pandemic. The Northeast Ohio Neighborhood Health Services, or NEON, is seeking American Rescue Plan funds to bolster its healthcare services in some of Cleveland’s poorest minority neighborhoods." SUGGESTION: NEON should commit to one stop child lead testing at all of it's clinics as a part of the deal to receive ARP funding.

• New Lead Safe Housing Rule Toolkit is Available.  "HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes is launching a Lead Safe Housing Rule Toolkit with sample forms, checklists, and flowcharts for HUD’s Lead Safe Housing Rule (24 CFR Part 35) to support healthy and lead safe homes. These tools help practitioners to understand and comply with the federal lead rules. The Lead Safe Housing Rule applies to almost all federally-assisted, pre-1978 housing, while the Lead Disclosure Rule applies to almost all pre-1978 homes being sold or leased/rented, regardless of federal assistance. Practitioners will learn how to prepare to administer projects, implement key project tasks, and keep records for compliance." HUD's Lead Safe Housing Rule applies to all HUD properties and any housing project that uses more than $5000 in Federal funds.

• 30 Nov 2021. KDKA via Youtube. City Council Passes Lead Poisoning Legislation. Look out Cleveland, the Steelers are gaining on you.

• NOV 28, 2021. The City. NYCHA resident Shari Broomes said her daughter Mikhaila Bonaparte got lead poisoning from their Tompkins Houses apartment, "More than 5,000 public housing apartments in buildings long ago deemed 'lead free' contain lead paint, THE CITY has learned. And that number is likely to grow. Meet a resident of one of those complexes: Mikhaila Bonaparte, who was born in 2013, just days before NYCHA falsified its lead report to the feds.

• Nov 30, 2021. PBS News Hour. New lead testing approach could reveal higher levels in water. "Testing for lead involves turning on the tap and collecting a sample. Currently, federal regulations require sampling the first liter of water out of the tap. The new rule under review would leave the tap on longer to collect the fifth liter. Instead of water sitting near the faucet, the change is intended to test water that sits in the lead service lines that connect buildings to water mains."

• December 1, 2021. Oaklandside. Oakland and Alameda County won money to fight lead poisoning. They still haven’t spent it. "The settlement terms give the plaintiffs wide authority to use the funds in ways they believe address the damage, whether that’s through inspecting old homes, treating affected children, or educating the public and contractors about the dangers. But two and a half years later, the money has gone unspent. Oakland and Alameda County officials have argued with each other, mostly behind closed doors, over who gets what portion of the settlement dollars, and how they should be used."

• December 2, 2021. Florida Politics. Al Lawson, John Rutherford want HUD to clean up lead in old buildingsA.G. Gancarski. "Republicans and Democrats don’t agree on much, but they seem willing and able to come together on lead remediation, as evidenced by U.S. Reps. Al Lawson and John Rutherford and their cross-party alliance on the issue. Democrat Lawson and Republican Rutherford, both representing Jacksonville, are teaming up to co-sponsor the House version of the Keep Children and Families Safe From Lead Hazards Act. The bill was filed previously in the Senate by another bipartisan duo running for re-election next year, Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Raphael Warnock. This legislation would force the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to perform yearly inspections on its properties to ascertain the presence of lead-based hazards, such as exterior and interior paint. The department would also have to develop an “action plan” for remediation."

• Dec. 08, 2021. Oversight needed for $2 million ARPA grant for struggling Cleveland health-services nonprofit: editorial. "Those running recurring deficits, like NEON, should further provide a management plan for how they propose to bring their books into balance so the city can be assured its money isn’t just going to hold back the red ink. Grant recipients should be required to show the funds are really being spent on the citizens in the community who need the health care, lead remediation, mental health and other services." CLASH supports the idea of linking ARP assistance with a commitment to child lead testing. We're so much in support of this idea, that we recommended it last week.

• December 7, 2021, The Land. New mobile clinics aim to tear down barriers to quality healthcare. "The idea for the mobile clinics has come out of years-long conversations about how best to improve community health and prevent further proliferation of chronic diseases, which data shows are pervasive in Cleveland, said Frances Mills, the city’s Health Commissioner and director of the Office of Minority Health." 

• Dec. 08, 2021. cleveland.com Use ARPA money to tackle lead poisoning scourge among Cleveland children

• Dec. 09, 2021. Cleveland.com. Cleveland Water Department trying to contact childcare centers served by lead water lines.

• Dec. 08, 2021. Cleveland.com. Letters to the Editor: Use ARPA money to tackle lead poisoning scourge among Cleveland children. "Every year, hundreds of Cleveland children are exposed to lead-based paint, leading to serious health outcomes. Research suggests that even quality preschool education cannot help lead-poisoned children catch up. Public health intervention and funding is overdue. Lead treatment, pipe replacement, and enforcement of building standards are all cost-effective tools for reducing lead exposure."

• December 8, 2021. Guardian. We’re losing IQ points’: the lead poisoning crisis unfolding among US children. "The US banned lead 30 years ago. So why are thousands of kids being poisoned every year? Turokk Dow is one of about 87,000 young children who are diagnosed with lead poisoning in the US each year, more than three decades after the neurotoxin was banned as an ingredient in paint, gasoline and water pipes. Today, lead lingers in houses and apartments, yards and water lines, and wherever states and communities ramp up testing, it becomes clear that the nation’s lead problem is worse than we realized, experts say."

• Dec. 16, 2021. Cleveland.com. Cleveland gets $5 million to abate lead paint as part of broader fight against lead contamination "WASHINGTON, D. C. - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Thursday announced that it’s awarding Cleveland a $5 million grant to be used for identifying and cleaning up lead paint in 240 low income families’ homes, as well as a $700,000 grant to help abate other hazards in 175 homes." A great example of press release journalism, no local perspective! 

• Dec 15, 2021. WEWS News. Cleveland inspector training vital in slowing child lead poisoning. "Certified lead inspector training in Cleveland, put together by the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition and Environmental Health Watch is having an impact in the effort to protect local children from lead poisoning. Kim Foreman, Executive Director with Environmental Health Watch, told News 5 nearly 400 have gone through the training program in just its first year.

• December 15, 2021. WVXU. Cincinnati will now pay entire cost of replacing privately-owned lead lines. "Cincinnati will start covering the entire cost of replacing residential lead services lines as soon as next month. Council approved the plan in a 8-0 vote Wednesday. The city has nearly 40,000 private lead lines at risk of contaminating drinking water. A current city program will pay for up to half the cost of replacing lines on private property (40% for all residential property owners, and 45-50% for low-income property owners)." Cleveland Water Department should look down I-71 for answers on lead pipe replacement.

• DEC 16, 2021. Vindy.com. Council agrees to spend $8M to tear down vacant houses. "City council approved spending $8 million to demolish 500 of the worst vacant houses in Youngstown as well as to apply for $1.6 million in grants for a downtown improvement project. The $8 million would come from the $82,775,370 the city was awarded from the federal American Rescue Plan Act with work starting early next year. Also, the city will be seeking state grants with the assistance of the Mahoning County Land Bank, which would allow them to leverage ARP money and possibly take down a total of 800 or so abandoned houses over an 18-month period, Michael Durkin, code enforcement and blight remediation superintendent, said." Be careful Mayor Tito. Improper demolition techniques can make the project into a lead superspreader. Federal money requires Federal Lead safe practices. 

• DECEMBER 15, 2021 Mahoning Matters. Attorney General sues to vacate daycare on Youngstown’s South Side for lead concerns "New court action from the Ohio Attorney General alleges a South Side home currently being used as an around-the-clock daycare is riddled with lead contamination. The daycare’s operator, Aletha Temple, who rents from the home from its owner Brian Benson, claims Benson never told her about its lead problems — problems which have gone unaddressed for years, according to state records. Someone even removed signs placed at the home by ODH indicating its lead dangers, according to the lawsuit." This is what CLASH means by enforcement. But, you gotta ask how many children were exposed between 2017 and today?

• Dec 12, 2021. Springfield News - Sun. Ohio children found to outpace nation in elevated blood lead level. "Many houses in the south side of Springfield, including Johnny Lytle Avenue, were built before 1978, the year lead paint was banned for commercial use.  Clark County leaders point to need for lead remediation, awareness." Awareness is not enough--see below.

• December 16, 2921 wapo, Biden administration details push to finally rid the nation of millions of lead pipes "Long-awaited changes won’t happen overnight, as EPA aims to finalize new regulations by 2024. [  ] The Biden administration on Thursday announced an effort to jump-start the removal of every underground lead water service line in the country, a move meant to stop once and for all the poisonous metal from flowing through the taps of millions of Americans." More here 

• The Conversation. Leaded gasoline was poisoning us for a century and the car industry knew. The rise and and fall of the 'lead death' in the US [...] "Leaded gasoline was poisoning us for a century and the car industry knew. "On the frosty morning of Dec. 9, 1921, in Dayton, Ohio, researchers at a General Motors lab poured a new fuel blend into one of their test engines. Immediately, the engine began running more quietly and putting out more power. The new fuel was tetraethyl lead. With vast profits in sight – and very few public health regulations at the time – General Motors Co. rushed gasoline diluted with tetraethyl lead to market despite the known health risks of lead. They named it 'Ethyl' gas. It has been 100 years since that pivotal day in the development of leaded gasoline. As a historian of media and the environment, I see this anniversary as a time to reflect on the role of public health advocates and environmental journalists in preventing profit-driven tragedy." Unhappy 100th birthday.

• December 13, 2021. Manchester Ink Link. Mapping lead contamination in the Granite State.

• DECEMBER 15, 2021. phys.org. Identifying schools with high lead levels in drinking water. "Consuming lead can cause health problems for anyone, but children are particularly vulnerable because the element can interfere with their growth and development. While water systems will soon be required to measure lead levels in school tap water, it's not clear how these measurements should be interpreted. In a new study in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology Letters, researchers used real-world data to determine an approach for identifying schools likely to have problematic lead levels." What is the current status of water pipes in CMSD?

• December 14, 2021. Urban CNY. Residents Flag Health, Safety Concerns as State Moves Closer to I-81 Viaduct Demolition. "A panel of six local health, safety, and parent advocates joined today just outside Dr. King Elementary to call for protections for workers and children from potentially dangerous levels of lead metal in bridge paint. They gathered within view of nearby homes and the school to dramatize the proximity of young children to the future demolition site of the I-81 viaduct. Despite a 1978 federal ban on lead in house paint, lead continued to be used on bridges as an anti-corrosive. Advocates said demolition of the decades old I-81 viaduct should meet or exceed standards of safety so that toxic bridge paint doesn’t poison demolition workers or young families living nearby."  Another potential superspreader event.

• Dec 13, 2021. WMAR. HUD, Baltimore celebrate 30 years with Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes. " 'If you grew up here in Baltimore like I did and you seen friends suffer from lead, if you have seen what they tell you that you can't drink out of the water fountain in the school because it has lead pipes, do you know how deep this issue is? It is connected to every thing that everyone says is wrong with the city,' said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. 'This is just as important as things that we do that folks think are big and sexy, this work is critical to making sure that Baltimore City is the best version of its self in the future.' To date the city has seen a 99 percent reduction in childhood lead poisoning."

• December 15, 2021. St.Louis-mo.gov. City of St. Louis Department of Health partners with Saint Louis Public Schools to host Lead Screening Clinics "The City of St. Louis Department of Health (DOH), in partnership with Saint Louis Public Schools [www.slps.org], will expand its efforts against childhood lead poisoning by providing screening services to eligible SLPS students. The City of St. Louis remains committed to addressing the serious issue of childhood lead poisoning, with DOH routinely performing lead screening, lead surveillance and case management for children under six years old and eligible refugee children through its Lead Safe St. Louis Program. Despite declining trends in childhood cases of elevated blood lead levels, the City of St. Louis continues to see child lead poisoning rates that exceed state and national averages, with Black children disproportionately affected relative to White children."

• PRESS RELEASE: Secretary Marcia L. Fudge and Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Tom Mihaljevic Discuss Solutions to National Lead Crisis. " 'What I believe that needs to happen first and foremost is to raise awareness,' said Dr. Tom Mihaljevic. 'We’re seeing hundreds of thousands of children in the most disadvantageous communities being essentially deprived of the opportunity to lead a normal and productive life by no fault of their own. We have to recognize that we as a country cannot stand for that. Raising an awareness that this is a problem that we know we can take care of, that this is a problem that this is important, is the first and probably most important step that we need to make.' ” Gimme a break. It's like the voice of the teacher in the Charlie Brown cartoons. Cleveland Clinic goes to Washington DC to pledge "awareness" and never mentions the crisis raging outside their pearly gates. Thanks Andre for sharing this story.

• 12/16/2021. E&E Daily. Biden’s lead-cleanup plan targets schools, day care centers. "The Cabinet-level Partnership for Lead Remediation in Schools and Child Care Centers aims to achieve President Biden’s commitment to reduce lead exposure in 400,000 schools and child care facilities. Its first step will be to convene joint stakeholder discussions to gather input from people affected by lead contamination at schools and child care centers, with those conversations meant to identify priorities and data gaps and aid the development of guidance specific to lead contamination in school and child care settings. Environmental health groups for years have highlighted the fact that schools and child care centers can commonly be unseen lead contamination hot spots. For decades, utilities testing lead in drinking water, for example, were not required to ensure taps at schools were safe. That’s something that will now change with the Trump-era lead and copper drinking water regulation taking effect while the Biden administration works to revamp it by 2024"

• December 15, 2021. USA TODAY. Fact check: Lead paint was banned over child safety concerns, not radiation conspiracy. "The claim: Lead paint was banned because of how well it absorbs radiation. The Consumer Product Safety Commission banned residential uses of lead-based paint in 1978 because of health concerns. Social media users, however, are claiming that ban was actually a conspiracy to stop houses from blocking radiation. 'Lead paint was banned, not because children were eating paint chips, but rather how well it absorbed RF/EMF radiation,' reads text of a Facebook post shared Nov. 22. 'Why do you think you wear a lead vest whilst getting X-Rayed?' "  A little stupidity goes a long way.

• December 15, 2021. ABC News. Benton Harbor, Michigan sees decreasing levels of lead in drinking waterFor the first time since 2018, Benton Harbor reports decreasing lead levels. " 'This is encouraging news, an indication that corrosion control treatment is taking hold and reducing the amount of lead getting into the water,' Eric Oswald, director of Michigan's Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division,said in a release, adding that the news 'does not lesson the urgency' to reduce lead exposure in the city." 

• December 19th 2021. Fox5 Baltimore. Nick Mosby sees lead exposure as the root of crime, public policy expert thinks otherwise.  "Last week city leaders including city council president Nick Mosby talked about the root causes of the crime and education crisis, holding a news conference addressing and updating efforts to combat lead paint poisoning in kids. 'In 2019, 560 children here in city of Baltimore were tested with elevated levels of lead in their blood,' Mosby said. 'One microgram per deciliter affects a child for the rest of their lives. The direct correlation to education, the direct correlation to the criminal justice system -- we understand and know that to be a fact.' Sean Kennedy with the Maryland Public Policy Institute believes he's overplaying the correlation between lead poisoning, education and crime." FYI Maryland Public Policy Institute is a free-market advocacy group which believes "...that individuals, families, and entrepreneurs are the engines of healthy civil societies only when they are left free from government overreach." 

• DECEMBER 20, 2021 Mississippi Free Press, Lead-In-Water Lawsuit: Contamination Has Hurt Black Jackson Children And Their Futures. "A kid growing up drinking lead in water is less likely to graduate from high school or go to college. The child consuming the poisoned water is more likely to be unemployed later. And a  child consuming lead during their childhoods are more likely to commit crime. In 2018, research by Robert J. Sampson and Alix S. Winter linked an increase in lead in water to a higher likelihood of criminal behavior. 'We have presented new evidence of a consistent link between childhood lead exposure and antisocial behavior in both childhood and later adolescence, with an estimated magnitude of effect greater than many standard predictors in criminology,' they reported."

• December 20, 2021. ASAPTime. What Type Of Diet Can Help Block The Storage Of Lead In Child’s Body? "A low-fat, calcium-rich diet is the best way to reduce lead absorption and storage in children’s bodies, suggests a study in the journal Pediatrics. 

• The study found that children who followed a low-fat diet and high blood calcium levels excreted significantly more lead than those on a regular diet. Lead is a toxic metal that can cause serious health problems, especially in young children. It can damage the brain and nervous system and interfere with bones and teeth development."

• December 21, 2021. The Public's Radio. Central Falls steps up housing code enforcement to prevent lead poisoning. Rhode Island’s housing code includes lead safety standards meant to protect residents. But cities across the state have a spotty track record of enforcing the requirements. Central Falls, which has some of the oldest housing stock in the state, is trying to chart a different course."

• DEC 22, 2021. BALTIMORE SUN. Criminal indictments filed against Maryland company that targeted Baltimore lead paint victims’ settlements. "Five years after initiating civil action against a Maryland company buying lead paint victims’ settlements for a fraction of their value, the state Attorney General’s Office has obtained criminal indictments against three of the company’s officials. Access Funding’s practices were thrust into scrutiny in 2015 after the death in Baltimore of Freddie Gray from injuries suffered in police custody. Lead paint victims are awarded settlements that are paid out over time to ensure that the money is not spent all at once, but Access Funding would pay out a smaller lump sum to obtain the rights to the more valuable long-term settlement. Gray and his siblings were among those who sold their settlements. They sold $435,000 of their settlements for about $54,000, a deal approved by a Prince George’s County judge. The Attorney General’s Office sued the company and a number of its officials in 2016, a case that continues to wind through the courts."

• December 24, 2021. Mercury News. Oakland is a hot spot for lead contamination of children, study finds
  Oakland and Alameda County have finalized an agreement over how to spend money to mitigate lead poisoning. "OAKLAND — Children in many parts of Oakland are among the most at-risk in the state of being poisoned by lead, even though the hazardous metal component was outlawed decades ago, a new study  has found. The “racial equity impact analysis” concludes Oakland is Alameda County’s epicenter of lead contamination, with Latino and Black residents heavily affected. [...] 'This means using data to prioritize abatement, testing, outreach, and education activities in high-risk areas, and serving the populations most likely to live in high-risk dwellings,' she added."

• 12.24.21. Rome News-Tribune. Ga. to move on lead poisoning risks; Dempsey study committee proposes a plan. "Among the recommendations from the committee: Change the state definition of elevated blood lead level to 3.5 µg/dL and the level triggering a home investigation from 10 µg/dL to 5 µg/dL to align with the most current CDC recommendation.Include the exterior of a home in an investigation into lead sources."

• Dec. 23, 2021. US News and World Report. Tests Show Lead Levels a Problem in Many Montana Schools. "In early 2020, the state of Montana for the first time required all public schools to test their drinking water for lead. Schools were given until December 31 of this year to take initial samples. Now, with two weeks to go before the deadline, 136 schools — only about a quarter — have sent in samples and, of those, 125 have had at least one fixture exceed the state action level for lead, Yellowstone Public Radio reported."

• December 9, 2021. Planet Detroit. Sweeping set of bills tackling child lead exposure discussed in Michigan House "The bipartisan package, led by Rep. Rachel Hood (D-Grand Rapids), would lower the definition of an elevated blood lead level (EBLL), strengthen the healthcare system to deal with lead exposure, and strengthen home inspection requirements."

• December 9, 2021. Planet Detroit. OPINION: All Michigan children should be tested for lead at one and two years of age.

November 2021 News

• October 31, 2021. Reading Eagle. This Berks County group is tackling lead poisoning in children [opinion]. "To be clear, high blood lead levels affect children in life-changing ways both cognitively and behaviorally. That’s why you saw a press conference with law enforcement earlier this year.  They know it’s not just a matter of self-discipline or “better parenting” (as I have heard some comment) and that lead-poisoned children can struggle with impulsivity and other things that result in run-ins with the law. Treatment is important, but prevention would be better."

• October 31, 2021. South Bend Tribune. Editorial: A stark reminder of South Bend's lead poisoning problem. "As Tribune reporter Jeff Parrott revealed, the city recently sent out 160 applications for residents to enroll in the lead abatement program. But only 42 were returned, and only 10 have actually enrolled. It was a slap-in-the-face reminder of the city's lead poisoning problem and the obstacles to addressing an issue that dates back decades."

• November 4, 2021. Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Work hard to get the lead out. "So we were energized to see about the new Pittsburgh Lead Safety Law (Oct. 26, “Pittsburgh Council members push for stricter lead poisoning prevention measures”) that will protect our children where they live, learn and play in the city. This law is not the end, however; it is a step in the right direction. We encourage Pittsburgh City Council to adopt this ordinance and begin to implement the practices regarding housing inspections and lead safety."

•  Nov 2, 2021. Source Sentinel. NH gets EPA grant to test school drinking water for lead. "The Environmental Protection Agency awarded $887,000 of funding to New Hampshire’s Department of Environmental Services to help schools and child-care facilities test their drinking water for lead."

• November 2, 2021. YouTube Newark replaces toxic lead pipes with copper

• November 5, 2021. The Conversation.A new, lower threshold for lead poisoning in children means more kids will get tested – but the ultimate solution is eliminating lead source "Will this change affect how doctors detect and treat childhood lead poisoning? The Centers for Disease Control periodically reviews national data on blood lead levels in children. This new lower value is the average blood lead level exceeded by 2.5% of children tested. Many clinics have an on-site screening device that uses electrochemical detection to quickly test a small amount of blood from a fingertip prick. If children test positive, doctors refer them to have a larger blood sample drawn from a vein and analyzed in a diagnostic laboratory. The clinical test is fast, cheap and relatively painless, but the venous blood draw is the gold standard for diagnosing lead poisoning. On-site clinical devices typically can detect lead at concentrations as low as 3.2 micrograms per deciliter, so the new CDC guidance means that nearly all children who show positive results at the screening level will be referred for follow-up testing. That’s much more protective from a public health perspective."

• 4 Nov 2021. YouTube. WHO's Science In 5: Lead Poisoning Prevention

• November 12, 2021. Channel 5 News. Report: Warning signs removed at more than half of Cleveland lead hazardous homes. "A Cleveland Advocates for Safe Housing report revealed that in checking 323 of 406 Cleveland lead hazard homes, 227 of them had lead warning signs that were removed by the landlords or tenants. Yvonka Hall, Co-Founder of Cleveland Advocates for Safe Housing or CLASH, said her agency's Oct. 21 report indicates an alarming number of Cleveland homes deemed a lead hazard don't have the warning placards posted." YOU CAN READ THE WHOLE REPORT AT https://www.clashcle.org/home

• November 11, 2021, Toledo Blade Lead inspectors to be trained under $243,460 program. "Toledo City Council approved an ordinance Tuesday to hire two firms to train lead safety inspectors in an effort to speed up enforcement of the city’s lead inspection ordinance. The ordinance — approved 11-0 with Councilman Rob Ludeman, a Realtor, abstaining — establishes partnerships with Lead Professionals for workers and ASSETS Toledo for small businesses. The training will cost up to $234,460. Between the two organizations, 34 training classes will be provided to 456 trainees and students."

• Nov 8 2021 Medical Express ‘Drinking through a lead straw’ — $15B approved to fix dangerous water pipes. "Now, he and other experts say, the nation can finally start to make a dent in the problem. The bipartisan infrastructure bill that Congress approved Friday calls for allocating $15 billion for lead pipe remediation. An additional $9 billion to help with lead reduction in disadvantaged communities and $970 million for rural water and waste-water programs, including lead remediation, are still on the table as part of the pending reconciliation spending bill to fund President Joe Biden's social and climate agenda." Will Cleveland be ready to apply for limited infrastructure funds?

• NOVEMBER 8, 2021. Missouri Independent. New funds, strategy may boost ‘massive task’ of reducing lead exposure for Missouri kids. "The EPA also announced late last month a new strategy for reducing lead exposure and alleviating disparities. Black and Hispanic children and kids from low-income families, the draft document says, are found to have far higher blood lead levels than their white peers. The draft, which is available for public comment, outlines steps the EPA will take to tighten lead regulations, revisit recommendations for renovating buildings with lead-based paint and work with other federal agencies, including Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Food and Drug Administration to ensure lead is not harming residents of public housing or entering food supplies."

• November 10, 2021. Roll Call. EPA touts water infrastructure money, but needs abound. "Distressed communities across the country are clamoring for federal money to help upgrade aging systems. That reflects in part how the federal share of water infrastructure funding has fallen from 63 percent in the 1970s to just 9 percent more recently."

• Nov 9, 2021. Providence Business Journal. Third R.I. landlord sued as AG Neronha pursues lead-paint  "Two local landlords and a real estate investment trust allegedly ignored repeated orders to clean up lead paint at their rental properties in Providence and Cranston — despite the fact that children living in the homes had tested positive for elevated blood lead levels. A lawsuit filed Friday by Attorney General Peter Neronha and the Rhode Island Department of Health names Robert N. Riccardi, who owns a three-family at 51 Wealth Ave. in Providence through Regent Place LLC. The suit alleges that Riccardi violated a state law designed to protect tenants against lead poisoning." When will Cleveland enforce compliance with the Lead Safe Certificate program?

• November 9, 2021. Saporto Report. Addressing Childhood Lead Exposure on a State and Federal Level "Lead poisoning isn’t just a problem in Flint, Michigan, and toxic lead levels aren’t just found in drinking water. Over the last year, GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students has been working with community leaders on the Westside of Atlanta, where lead slag found in a grandmother’s garden soil has prompted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to begin remediating several neighborhoods. Hearing from families about the effects of lead on their children’s brain development has steeled our commitment to fighting for environmental justice for all of Georgia’s children." 

• 11/12/2021. Ars Technica. Flint water crisis costs Michigan $600 million—preventing it would have cost $80/day. "Residents of Flint, Michigan, began complaining in 2014 that their water tasted bad, smelled foul, and came out of the tap discolored. The city had switched water supplies to save money, and in the process, the city and state failed to add anti-corrosion chemicals to the new supply. Flint’s aging pipes began to poison its residents. People suffered rashes after bathing, children were exposed to high levels of lead, and at least a dozen people died from Legionnaires’ disease. Residents, pediatricians, and pastors sounded the alarm, but it wasn’t until they sued the city and state that a federal judge ordered bottled water to be delivered to every affected home." Treatment of municipal water systems is an interim control for lead pipes.

• November 9th 2021. CNYCentral. Hundreds of kids are still poisoned by lead in Syracuse each year. What comes next?. "It's been over a year since the Common Council unanimously passed this ordinance. According to Dishaw, the pandemic has slowed rollout in a combination of taking a hit at the city's finances while making it difficult to safely conduct home inspections."  Watch it here. Stop using the pandemic as an excuse. Children who have been locked down at home have experienced higher rates of exposure.

• Nov 10, 2021. PBS Newshour. New lead poisoning guidelines means more kids will get tested. Here’s what else experts want to see. "Now, in response to recent federal health surveys, the CDC has updated that number to 3.5 micrograms per deciliter. Environmental scientist Gabriel Filippelli, who has studied urban lead poisoning in children, explains what this shift means for public health." When more children are tested Cleveland will learn the true scope of the problem.

• November 10, 2021. Detroit Free Press. Federal judge gives final approval to $626.25M settlement in Flint water crisis. "A federal judge on Wednesday gave final approval to a $626.25-million settlement of civil claims against the state of Michigan and a handful of other parties resulting from the lead poisoning of Flint's drinking water, in what is one of the largest civil settlements in state history."

• November 11, 2021. Herald-Times. Researcher: Samples from last week's training fire contain 'extremely high' levels of lead. "Bloomington residents affected by the lead paint fallout from a recent training fire will receive kits from university researchers so they can test paint chips, dust and earthworms for lead contamination. John Shukle, a doctoral student at the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, told residents in a Zoom call Wednesday that they would find test kits in their mailboxes or at their door, and IUPUI would process the tests free of charge. The kits will include instructions and testing materials." Fire and careless demolition can spread lead throughout a community. When in doubt file a complaint with EPA Region V.

• NOV 11, 2021. WBOI. Indiana has a chance to help more kids with lead poisoning than ever before. "Indiana is considering lowering its threshold for when public health agencies address elevated blood lead levels in children — based on a nearly decade-old recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency recently changed that threshold again — and it’s unclear if the state will follow suit." Ohio needs to adopt the new CDC guidance.

• 11/12/21. The Hill. Michigan, local officials sued over 'toxic lead emergency' in city's water. " 'Defendants, all of them, have not remediated these dangers or harms, notwithstanding their knowledge, since 2018, that the amount of lead in the water was increasing with each testing  period from 2018 to 2021,' the complaint reads." You can run but you can't hide.

• November 12, 2021. WHECTV. Schumer: Infrastructure bill funds to be used to remove lead pipes in Rochester. "He said protecting our children's health must be the number one priority. 'Even in low doses, it [lead] can decrease cognitive function, developmental delays, behavioural problems," Schumer said. "In high does, it's severe: Seizures, coma, even death. So we need to remove these lead hazards, but at the current rate of replacement, most of the lead pipes in Rochester would not be replaced until 2050. Can you imagine having thousands and thousands of children exposed to lead for 30 more years?' " Where's Sherrod Brown when you need him to speak about lead poisoning where he lives?

• NOVEMBER 15, 2021. Enterprise Community Partners. Ayonna Blue Donald Named Vice President, Ohio Market Leader. "Enterprise Community Partners (Enterprise) today named Ayonna Blue Donald as its new vice president and Ohio market leader, effective November 29. A longtime public servant for the city of Cleveland, Donald served as director of the city’s Department of Building and Housing from 2017 to 2021 and most recently served as the chief of Commercial Services and Governmental Affairs for the Department of Port Control."

• November 16, 2021. TheLand. Reflection: Racial disparities still plague health care. The fact that I’m writing about it in 2021 is telling.  "That story isn’t unique. And the fact that I’m now, in 2021, writing about the simple existence of racial health disparities should be troubling. I haven’t even gotten into the local Cleveland issues, and I’m already 600 words in."

• Nov 17, 2021. Cleveland Scene. Sherwin-Williams Aims for Third-Most Interesting Light Display in Downtown Cleveland With New Skyscraper. "Here's to hoping Sherwin-Williams, which for decades knew that its lead paint was toxic and yet fought tooth and nail in courts to absolve itself of legal or financial liability, also makes a gesture and comes up with a light display to celebrate National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, which is observed every October."

• Nov 18, 2021. WEWS CLE landlords hope for Lead Safe program changes in 2022. "Joe Libretti and Ben Rosolowski are trained northeast Ohio lead risk assessors, and Cleveland landlords, who believe changes in the city lead safe ordinance are needed in 2022. Both told News 5, the current ordinance does nothing to address lead paint child poisoning issues at thousands of owner-occupied homes across the city and only centers on more than 90,000 city rental units in its effort to get the homes lead safe compliant." 

• Nov. 16, 2021. cleveland.com. Cleveland’s plan for stimulus spending unclear after council meeting on community, economic development, "Committee Chair Anthony Brancatelli encouraged the administrators to continue with its presentation, after which Slife continued with his criticisms. 'I’m supposed to go back to my residents and say, ‘The administration doesn’t want to allow you to participate in a home repair program?’  Slife posited. 'You know, maybe if Mayor Jackson came to Ward 17 more than once a year on the Fourth of July parade, he’d have a more nuanced approach of the neighborhood.' ” Ya can't make this stuff up.

• November 18, 2021. WOIO. Cleveland’s lead paint voucher pays to update homes. "CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland homeowners are waking up with vacating notices on their front doors but it’s not because they didn’t pay the rent or mortgage, it’s because of a toxic issue plaguing their home, lead paint." The headline is dangerous advice. Owners should follow RRP guidelines before using the "free" paint from the city. Cleveland's ordinance requires paint sellers to provide lead safe practice information...but they don't. 

• November 15, 2021 EarthJustice. Michigan Approves Another Polluter in Flint. "Today, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, or EGLE, approved the air permit for a hot mix asphalt plant in Flint, a community still reeling from lead poisoning, as well as ongoing and legacy industrial pollution." Environmental Racism continues in Flint.

• Nov 18, 2021. Environmental Health News. How contaminated water contributes to mental illness. "New research indicates that childhood lead exposure impacts adult mental health. The toxic heavy metal is found across western Pennsylvania drinking water systems, leaving thousands of kids at risk." A new study links lead exposure and mental illness.

• November 17, 2021. Washington Post. Lead-Tainted Water Is America’s Worst Infrastructure Failure. "No one in the world’s wealthiest and most innovative country should lack access to potable water, and yet here we are. Lead is a vicious neurotoxin that causes cognitive damage even in small amounts, and it is particularly harmful to children. For three years, 10,000 Americans in Benton Harbor have lived with that threat. They’re not alone. Several million lead service lines remain in place across the country, largely in low-income areas and communities of color. Biden’s infrastructure plan will address a significant portion of this problem, but some analysts estimate that it will take $60 billion — four times the new federal outlay — to complete the work." Mayor Bibb: make sure the Cleveland Water Department is ready to apply for Federal lead pipe replacement funding on day 1.

• November 17, 2021. Alternet. The simple truth about defunding the police that politicians refuse to see. "Biden has enthusiastically touted his lead abatement measures. But in some ways he's undersold them. He hasn't, for example, explained that reducing lead exposure is a way to reduce crime. Lead doesn't only damage intelligence. It also reduces the capacity for self-control. Exposure can make people more likely to react in violent or antisocial ways. Lead may therefore be linked to one of the most perplexing policy questions in our lifetime — the steady and dramatic decline in crime from the 1990s through the 2010s." Childhood Lead exposure and encounters with the criminal justice system go hand in hand. 

• November 19, 2021. American Council on Science and Health. Protecting Our Children From Lead. "The way to solve this problem is not case-by-case, waiting to see if children have high blood lead levels. Instead, localities and local public health departments should take the lead and proactively go into the communities most at risk, i.e., older neighborhoods in industrial areas, and test for lead in soil, paint, and drinking water. This is a fundamental role for local public health departments that should be greatly expanded. Too often, in older neighborhoods, elected officials take an approach of “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” instead of identifying, confronting, and resolving the lead issue." See no evil has too long been the policy in Cleveland.

• November 19, 2021. WTIU. Study: paint flakes from High Street burn up to 12 percent lead. "Independent testing of paint flakes from the Nov. 5 controlled burn on South High Street in Bloomington have confirmed concentrations of 10 to 12 percent lead. Leah Wood is a researcher with IUPUI in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department, and studies patterns of lead pollution. She said residents who’ve reacted with concern are within reason. 'This is a big deal. If I lived in that neighborhood, I would be reacting similarly and I would be very concerned,' Wood said."  In Cleveland we have the same problem when a vacant home is torn down by untrained contractors.

• Nov 19, 2021. The Sharon Herald. Ask the Doctors 11-22-21. "Dear Doctor: My mother passed away several years ago from a form of dementia called organic brain syndrome. Can you tell me what this is? I’d like to know what the symptoms are and if it’s hereditary. Is there any way of preventing it from happening to me?" [   ]  "As you can see, it’s more of an umbrella term than a specific diagnosis. As a result, it can affect people of all ages, races and genders. In general, symptoms of neurocognitive disorders begin with episodes of confusion, agitation or even delirium, and over time can lead to long-term loss of mental function. However, depending on the underlying condition that is affecting brain function, symptoms can also be specific. Take, for example, a child exposed to lead-based paint in an older home. Lead is a toxicant — that is, a toxic substance introduced into the body via the environment. Because lead accumulations affect brain function, someone with lead poisoning may begin to have trouble with fine motor skills and uncontrolled irritability." Here's a question CLASH gets all the time

• November 19, 2021. The Times Herald. Norristown amends municipal code to include ‘lead poisoning prevention’ chapter.   " 'The Department of Buildings and Code Compliance strongly believes that it is in the best interest of the municipality to adopt this ordinance … and to set forth a lead-safe and lead-free certification process for testing and abatement for rental properties, daycare centers and child daycare facilities, condemned properties, and properties subject to the real estate transfer process with structures built prior to 1978,' the ordinance states."

• Nov 18, 2021.Local SYR. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh appoints Lead Program Administrator. " 'The City of Syracuse is working every day to reduce the risk of childhood lead poisoning. As part of this commitment, Jessica will play an integral role in implementing the Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Program grant, awarded to the City of Syracuse by the Department of Housing and Urban Development' said Mayor Walsh. 'Jessica has the right background for this role, acting as a liaison with program partners and key stakeholders, having already begun to build meaningful connections both with city residents and other city departments.' ”  Cleveland Needs a Lead Czar.

• Nov. 23, 2021. Cleveland.com. Cleveland City Council to amend stimulus legislation Monday with hopes to pass it  "McCormack said he would like to see more money allocated toward community development, such as programs to improve the city’s housing stock, assist renters and homeowners and make the city lead-safe, perhaps by earmarking $17.5 million to fulfill a request from the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition.

• Nov. 23, 2021 Tribune Review. Legislation would focus on lead paint in Pittsburgh homes. "Pittsburgh City Council on Monday advanced a proposed ordinance that aims to protect city residents from harmful lead exposure, though council members said the legislation should be considered only the first step in a larger effort."

• Nov. 24, 2021. MSU Today. Reducing children’s exposure to lead dust. "The three-year study, beginning in December, is supported by a $700,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Two portable air filters will be placed in each home, one in the living room and a second one in a child’s bedroom. Blood samples will be collected from each child at the beginning, midway through the study, and at the end to measure changes in lead levels, Morishita said.

•  Nov 27, 2021. Rome News Tribune. Ga. General Assembly action expected on childhood lead exposure "State Rep. Katie Dempsey, R-Rome, said a final report with recommendations is coming in early December from the House Study Committee on Childhood Lead Exposure she chaired. 'Most are about aligning and complying with the latest (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) definitions for elevated blood levels and environmental intervention issues,' Dempsey said.  Will the Ohio Department of Health bring Ohio into compliance with new CDC standard?

October News

• September 15, 2021. Florida Politics. Marco Rubio, Raphael Warnock team up to fight lead poisoning in HUD housing. "U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is reaching across the aisle in his continued effort to improve public housing conditions. The second-term Republican Senator from Florida teamed up on a bipartisan effort that includes Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat from Georgia, to eliminate lead toxins from old housing projects and developments. The two, along with Tennessee Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty, joined forces on the Keep Children and Families Safe From Lead Hazards Act. That bill would direct the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development to identify and remediate properties where lead paint and pipes are still used. Many Section 8/HUD buildings were built before lead paint was banned in 1978, and Rubio’s office estimates more than 6,300 Florida children are subjected to this contaminant via HUD housing."  More here; https://www.news4jax.com/news/politics/2021/09/15/rubio-warnock-co-sponsor-bill-to-force-hud-to-inspect-regularly-for-lead/

• September 14, 2021. BuzzFeed News. Carlton Waterhouse Is Fighting For Environmental Justice At The EPA — And Getting Called A “Racist”. "In between the degrees, Waterhouse spent nine years working as an attorney on high-profile pollution enforcement cases for the EPA. He then taught environmental law for over a decade, including recently leading the Howard University Environmental Justice Center. As part of his research, he’s written about lead poisoning in children of color, and about reparations for descendants of enslaved people. It’s the latter that’s recently garnered negative attention."

• Startling data. September 27, 2021.Boston Children's Hospital. Lead exposure remains a problem for some children. "Dr. Marissa Hauptman, of the Pediatric Environmental Health Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, partnered with Quest Diagnostics, one of the largest reference clinical laboratories in the U.S., to collect the data. Her findings were published today in JAMA Pediatrics, accompanied by an editorial. Of the 1.1 million U.S. children under age 6 who were tested, half (50.5 percent) had detectable levels of blood lead (1.0 microgram per deciliter or higher). And almost 2 percent had elevated levels considered to be a risk to health (5.0 µg/dL or higher). Both percentages were higher for children who had public insurance, for those living in low-income zip codes, and for those living in homes built before the 1950s, when lead paint was still being used." more here and here and here.

• Nice Primer for Parents no matter where you live. September 14, 2021. Milwaukee Neighborhood News. Worried about lead poisoning in Wisconsin? Here’s what you should know. 

• Sep 27, 2021. WPRI.com. Nirva LaFortune announces run for Providence mayor. "Providence City Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune officially announced her campaign for mayor of Providence in 2022. LaFortune, a Democrat who represents Ward 3 on the City Council, had been fundraising for a potential run for months. 'Our city deserves a leader that will work to create opportunities for every resident,' LaFortune said in a news release. At her campaign announcement at the Southside Cultural Center on Sunday, she spoke about Providence’s older housing stock and a risk of lead poisoning, according to her campaign, which she said she suffered from as a child."

• September 29, 2021. Bronx Times. AG’s office finds NYC property firm in violation of city’s lead poisoning law. "A property management firm that manages more than 6,000 apartments in approximately 134 buildings in New York City — a majority of which are located predominantly in low-income communities in the Bronx — is being held accountable for repeatedly violating lead poisoning prevention laws and endangering the lives of their tenants, according to an investigation by the New York Attorney General’s office."

• September 28, 2021. WESA. Activists say Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority should address concerns about lead, water costs. "Musil and others point to lead testing results from the authority posted online that show an increase in lead levels in recent years (though the amount remains below the allowable level of 15 parts per billion) and the fact that a number of the communities WPJWA serves have high incidences of childhood lead poisoning (though lead pipes are not the only potential source of lead poisoning)."

• October 1, 2021. Daily Hampshire Gazette. Holyoke nonprofit’s challenge to lead paint law can proceed in court. "In its lawsuit, the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center argues that the state’s lead law, which was intended to get landlords to gradually delead the state’s housing stock, has resulted in housing discrimination against households with children while resulting in little abatement of lead paint hazards. They have argued that the state’s lead law violates the 1988 federal Fair Housing Act, which outlawed housing discrimination against families with minor children."

• October 1, 2021. Sun News. Battery Recycling Plant Exposed Workers to Lead Inhalation. "TAMPA, FL – OSHA safety investigators have found that a Tampa, FL battery recycling facility and smelter failed to make changes that resulted in worker exposure to lead inhalation hazards, despite several warnings. OSHA cited Envirofocus Technologies LLC – operating as Gopher Resource LLC – with a willful violation for exposing workers to inhalation hazards."

• 
  August 26, 2021. Planet Detroit. Fewer kids were tested for lead poisoning amid the pandemic. This pop-up clinic aims to change that trend. "Fewer kids were tested for lead poisoning amid the pandemic. This pop-up clinic aims to change that trend. When Alashna Moore took her 4-year-old son Aishani to sign up for preschool at United Children and Family Head Start on Harper in early August, she took advantage of an unexpected opportunity to test him for lead poisoning. A mobile health unit stationed in the parking lot behind the school building was staffed with health care professionals ready to test for lead poisoning and provide other family health services. Moore decided to get her son tested."

• Oct 5, 2021. The Journal Times.  Kicking the can down the road: Lack of funding leaves lead pipes in the ground and kids at risk. "The City of Racine had just under 11,000 lead pipe service lines delivering water to its nearly 80,000 residents in July, when the city announced it had received a $1.6 million grant through the state’s Safe Drinking Water Loans program. The grant represented the removal of approximately 400 lead pipes delivering water to Racine residents."

• October 5, 2021. Scalawag.Mississippi's childhood lead exposure interventions don't do enough for kids. "Though all kids using Medicaid health insurance are supposed to be tested, less than a quarter are annually in Mississippi. It worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic when annual wellness visits and subsequent lead screenings plummeted, while in-home exposures from leaded water and paint spiked for children in older homes due to lockdowns."

• October 07, 2021. EIN Presswire. Could Lead Exposure Underlie Your Child’s “ADHD”? Study Says Under the Age of 6, Chances Are 50/50. "The physical effects of lead in the body can cause hyperactive or inattentive behavior that can result in a child being labeled with “ADHD.” Parents should consider asking their physician if the child should be tested for lead exposure. Parents can reduce the levels of lead in a child’s body by finding and fixing lead hazards in the home and by feeding the child food rich in iron, calcium and vitamin C, bringing about corresponding improvement in the child’s physical and mental health. Stimulant drugs typically prescribed for 'ADHD' are the subject of at least 34 drug regulatory agency warnings and 32 research studies showing adverse, even life-threatening effects of the drugs for children under the age of 18. CCHR has long recommended that children experiencing behavioral problems should get a complete physical examination with lab tests and nutritional screening to discover any underlying physical conditions that could be causing the behavior. Half of the youngest U.S. children have detectable levels of lead in their bodies, which can go untreated if behavior problems are only diagnosed as 'ADHD.' The first signs of lead poisoning in children are often subtle neurobehavioral problems that adversely affect classroom behavior and social interaction.” The importance of checking for possible lead exposure in children whose behavior is labeled as 'ADHD' is underscored by a recent report showing that half of U.S. children under the age of 6 were found to have detectable levels of lead in their blood, a condition known to cause hyperactivity and inattentiveness.

• October 8, 2021. Gothamist. Newark Nears Finish On Lead Pipe Removal In Record Time. "Newark is close to meeting its goal of replacing every single lead pipe that pumps water into homes in New Jersey's largest city. So far, they've accomplished a record feat: replacing more than 22,000 lead service lines with copper pipes. City officials say all known lead service lines—garden hose-sized pipes that connect underground water mains to homes—have been removed. In the next two weeks, construction crews will double-check to make sure service lines marked as replaced or “not lead” on city records are truly lead-free. They currently have another 1,000 pipes to double-check."

• October 7, 2021. Wausau environmental advocate receives 2021 Bill Iwen Award, "A Wausau environmental advocate who serves on the Wausau City Council is one of three people selected to receive the 2021 Bill Iwen Environmental Justice Award, according to a news release from Midwest Environmental Advocates. Tom Kilian of Wausau, Brenda Coley of the Milwaukee Water Commons and Richard Diaz of the Coalition on Lead Emergency (COLE) will be honored Oct. 26 at a virtual event. The Bill Iwen Environmental Justice Award was established in 2019 by Midwest Environmental Advocates, a nonprofit environmental law center, to recognize and honor those who are working to advance environmental justice in Wisconsin."

• October 8, 2021. ABC News. Residents in Benton Harbor, Michigan, urged to use only bottled water due to elevated levels of lead. "State health officials released the warning Wednesday for the city of 9,600, located about 100 miles from Chicago."

September News

• Startling data. September 27, 2021.Boston Childrens' Hospital. Lead exposure remains a problem for some children. "Dr. Marissa Hauptman, of the Pediatric Environmental Health Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, partnered with Quest Diagnostics, one of the largest reference clinical laboratories in the U.S., to collect the data. Her findings were published today in JAMA Pediatrics, accompanied by an editorial. Of the 1.1 million U.S. children under age 6 who were tested, half (50.5 percent) had detectable levels of blood lead (1.0 microgram per deciliter or higher). And almost 2 percent had elevated levels considered to be a risk to health (5.0 µg/dL or higher). Both percentages were higher for children who had public insurance, for those living in low-income zip codes, and for those living in homes built before the 1950s, when lead paint was still being used." more here and here and here.

August news

• Why Cleveland's Mayor needs a Lead Czar to untangle the web of dysfunctional programs. Aug 20, 2021. WEWS. Cleveland mother fed up with city's lack of response to lead paint issues. "A Cleveland mother says she's done all she can to get Cleveland’s lead safe program to help her make her home safe for her children. The city health department deemed her home a lead paint hazard more than two years ago, but she says she can't get the city to follow-up." 

• August 20, 2021.Bronx Times. HPD reaches settlement to correct lead-based paint violations. "New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) reached a settlement agreement with a building owner to correct 42 lead-based paint violations in two of his buildings in the Bronx. After months of litigation, Ved Parkash agreed to pay $60,000 in civil penalties and correct violations under Local Law 1 of 2004 (LL1), New York City’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act. Parkash has already made significant progress in addressing the lead-related conditions and HPD continues to monitor compliance with the settlement for these buildings."

• Sounds like Cleveland?  Syracuse testing for lead poisoning plunges.  The number of kids in the city being tested has fallen steadily over the last five years.Last year 3,940 Syracuse kids were tested for lead, down from 4,512 in 2019, a 13% decrease, according to the Onondaga County Health Department. Of the 3,940 kids tested, about 355, or 9%, had elevated blood lead levels. Most of the newly poisoned kids live in low-income neighborhoods. 

• August 6, 2021. NPR. Detroit Once Tried To Privatize Public Health. Now It's Trying To Rebuild. "When politicians shutter a school or close a subway stop, the impacts are immediate and visible, sparking sharp public blowback. But when a health department fires its contact tracers or closes its infectious diseases lab or stops testing children for lead exposure, the impact is more subtle."

• August 8, 2021. KTVU.com. New study reveals children near Reid-Hillview airport experience elevated levels of lead poisoning. SAN JOSE, Calif. - Children living near East San Jose's Reid-Hillview Airport are experiencing blood lead levels similar to those of children in Flint, Michigan, during the peak of its water crisis in the previous decade, a new study commissioned by Santa Clara County revealed. Some local leaders and health experts are calling a crisis." . Makes you wonder what's going on around Burke Lakefront and Lake Eerie fish.

• Aug 5, 2021.Your Erie. Lead Free Promise Project begins statewide battle against lead poisoning. The fight to end lead poisoning among children in Pennsylvania may happen with the Lead Free Promise Project. Dr. Jeffrey Martin, the chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, came up with the idea to help health care providers test children’s blood lead levels. 'The purpose of the guide is to really be an easy button for one stop shopping location where providers confronted with a child with blood lead levels can put the pieces in place,' Dr. Martin said. Encouraging to see the medical community trying to solve the child lead testing problem.

• August 5th 2021. News Channel 3. Townhall looks to ensure 'Flint Water Crisis' never happens in Kalamazoo. "State, county and city leaders took part in a townhall Thursday to discuss possible lead poisoning in Kalamazoo County. State Rep. Julie Rogers, D-Kalamazoo, said data shows kids in several Kalamazoo neighborhoods may have been exposed to just as much lead as the children in Flint, but instead of water, the lead comes from a completely different source: paint." Good to see elected officials take the lead on lead.

• Aug 8, 2021. WVA News. DHHR: Lead paint most common source of lead exposure in children from 2015-2019. "While lead in water can be a source of lead exposure, which is particularly problematic for children and pregnant women, water has not been the most common source of lead exposure in the Mountain State. Physicians will typically perform a check on infant blood lead levels at age 1 or 2 as part of regular “well child checkups,” said Dr. Brittanie West of United Hospital Center Family Medicine in Bridgeport. 'Around here, our standard of practice is to do it for all kids,' she said. 'We might get one or two (lead exposures) a year in the practices that see a lot of kids. It’s not particularly common. After that, once they get a positive level, there’s different recommendations for how high their level is whether or not you treat them or you just observe them and redraw it.' ”

• August 8, 2021. Fox43. Hundreds of Pa. schools are finding high levels of lead in their drinking water . "LANCASTER, Pa. — Much of the Commonwealth is considered “at-risk” for lead exposure and some counties in South Central Pennsylvania have some of the highest rates of childhood lead poisoning in the state. Lead can be found in lead-based paint—something many older homes have in York and Lancaster counties—and some older school buildings still have lead pipes carrying their water."

• August 11, 2021. Boston Globe. No haven at home: Amid the pandemic, childhood lead poisoning rates are rising in R.I. "During the pandemic, home has been a haven, a place to keep family members safe from a highly contagious, potentially deadly virus. But for many children in Rhode Island, home poses a hazard — a place where poisonous lead lines the walls or flows from the faucet. Last year, as families huddled inside during school closures and stay-at-home advisories, the number of children poisoned by lead for the first time rose from 388 to 472, according to state Department of Health data. That 22 percent increase was even more remarkable because it occurred as 17 percent fewer children were being tested. Health experts say the extent of the lead poisoning is likely far greater."  More here.

• 08/11/2021.STL.News. Delucio Charged with Violating Federal Lead Paint Laws "According to court documents, Jeffrey Delucio, 52, of Richmond, was a co-operator of Aluminum Brothers Home Improvements LLC in Richmond.  Delucio failed to follow lead-safe work practices while renovating residences in the Richmond area.  As a result, lead-based paint chips were scattered throughout the properties and were not cleaned up timely or properly as work was being conducted.  One of the residences was inhabited by a child with elevated blood lead levels, which had prompted the renovation work at that property to begin with."

July 2021 News

• ​July 30, 2021. Columbus Dispatch. 8 things you can do to protect yourself against lead poisoning from water. " 'Drinking water can make up 20% or more of a person’s total exposure to lead. Infants who consume mostly mixed formula can receive 40% to 60% of their exposure to lead from drinking water,' according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In children, lead poisoning can lead to brain damage, slowed growth, learning problems, and hearing and speech problems according to the CDC. In adults, it can cause cardiovascular effects, including increased blood pressure, and decreased kidney function and reproductive problems in both men and women, according to the EPA."

• July 30, 2021.The Columbus Dispatch Ohio has second most lead water-supply pipes in U.S.; infrastructure plan would replace them. "The survey results from 2016 are likely under-reported. A 2018 U.S. Government Accountability Office report said the study had limitations, and the 6.1 million lead service lines reported nationally likely was inaccurate."

• July 30, 2021. Living on Earth. An august 100th anniversary, August 3rd, 1921 "The first crop dusting aircraft is flown by Lieutenant John Macready, who dusts a field of catalpa trees near Troy, Ohio, using lead arsenic to kill caterpillars?" what can possibly go wrong. 

July 24, 2021 Edition

• July 19, 2021. Ohio Capital News. Report: 650,000 lead pipes still carry water in Ohio; 2nd most in U.S. "As many as 650,000 lead pipes statewide deliver water to Ohioans, according to a report released last week by the Natural Resources Defense Council. This makes Ohio the second worst state in the nation as measured by the estimated number of lead pipes (technically known as lead-containing service lines) in the water system, behind only Illinois with 730,000."

• Lead Safe Housing is an issue in Buffalo's Mayoral Elections this year. July 20, 2021. Buffalo News. Letter: Walton is better qualified to protect Buffalo’s children. "Buffalo is just now beginning to implement a new series of local ordinances designed to keep families with young children from moving into lead contaminated apartments. In the meantime, a few thousand children in our city were needlessly poisoned. India Walton is campaigning on a platform to increase the supply of safe and affordable housing in Buffalo. She worked hard to defeat Brown in the Democratic primary. Let’s send her to City Hall in November and protect the next generation of Buffalo’s children."

• In Wisconsin, children can be tested for lead poisoning at health departments and  WIC offices. ​July 19, 2021. Wisconsin Department of Health. ​Site Visits Highlight Lead Safety Efforts​. "Organizations throughout the state will showcase home lead abatement efforts​. [   ]  A blood-lead test, available at local health departments, WIC agencies, and health care clinics, is recommended for children who may have been exposed to lead paint." 

• July 21, 2021. Circle of Blue. Some Chicagoans Wary of Lead Pipe Replacement. "Mistrust of the government, fears related to immigration, and unclear messaging make the operation a hard sell in some neighborhoods. [   ] "Just as with public resistance to Covid-19 vaccines, the response to Chicago’s lead pipe replacement project is a story playing out in neighborhoods across the country. Government public interest initiatives, even with the best of intentions and resources, are being curtailed by mistrust."

• July 22, 2021. TapInto. New Lead Poisoning Prevention Laws to Require Inspections in Rental Properties, Replacement of Service Lines. "Governor Phil Murphy signed a package of laws on Thursday to address the state's lead exposure and its harmful effects on public health and child development by signing a package of bills aimed protecting New Jersey’s families from lead poisoning. The legislation, which will require regular inspections for, and the remediation of, lead-based paint hazards in residential rental properties and require the inventory, replacement, and financing of lead service lines throughout the state within the next 10 years, will advance New Jersey as a national leader in lead poisoning prevention."

• Is it time for an outside audit of the Cleveland Health Department? JULY 24, 2021. US News. Health commissioner calls Milwaukee's lead crisis imperative. "Johnson said the department has hired the Public Health Foundation, which conducted an audit on the lead abatement program last year, to review anywhere from 20% to 50% of the cases in 2020 and 2021 to identify problems. The Public Health Foundation is a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., that makes recommendations to public health agencies. Johnson said she wants the foundation to 'literally map out every process in that program and identify where the system has failed families, frankly.' She said her department needs to improve the quality and timeliness of how it reports on homes affected by lead. Johnson also said she wants to work with primary care doctors to better screen children and pregnant women for lead poisoning to avoid hospitalizations."

July 18, 2021 Edition

July 16, 2021. Repository. State EPA cracks down on Republic Steel over lead emissions in air. "A Stark County judge has ordered Republic Steel to make a series of changes and threatened steep fines after its northeast Canton mill exceeded the federal limit for lead emissions in the air for the second time in three years this spring. The Ohio Attorney General's Office had sought an injunction against the company on behalf of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Common Pleas Judge Kristin Farmer granted the injunction and signed the order on July 2. Over three days in the second week of May, an air monitor on Georgetown Road reported lead levels of 1.69, 2.6 and 2.26 micrograms per cubic meter. For the period of March through May, emissions averaged 0.3 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air, according to the injunction. The EPA maximum is 0.15 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air over a three-month period."

JULY 14, 2021​. ​WFYI IUPUI To Give Out Free, Anonymous Lead Testing Kits at Indiana Black Expo​. "The do-it-yourself kits are anonymous and can be used to screen for lead at home by collecting dust, water and soil samples. The lab results are performed by IUPUI experts at no cost. The kits will be handed out on a first-come-first-serve basis Friday through Sunday at the Indiana Black Expo health fair.​"​

July 16, 2021. U.S. News & World Report. Even a Little Lead in Drinking Water Can Harm People With Kidney