Another case of childhood lead poisoning has been found in Baltimore. A 1-year-old girl had a dangerously high level of lead from chipping lead paint in her house from the 1930s. While lead in paint was banned decades ago, it is still present in old houses and buildings. Hundreds of children are poisoned by lead each year in Baltimore and nearly half a million in the US. Lead poisoning can cause developmental delays, learning disabilities, and other health issues. Since the effects aren't reversible, prevention is key. Lead poisoning was common in the 1950s and 1960s in crowded eastern cities and just like today, it mostly affects poor people of color. That's one of the reasons laws aren't enforced or strict enough. More accurate home inspections and childhood testing needs to be mandatory to protect children from exposure.
http://www.npr.org/2016/03/21/471267759/baltimore-struggles-to-protect-children-from-lead-paint
This is an upsetting event. I wonder if a president like Teddy Roosevelt came sooner, then this could have been prevented, as he largely impacted the effort of nature conservation.
ReplyDeleteShara Jeyarajah
I hope that people will carefully check their homes to make sure no lead paint was used, which could really help their children. -Claudia Anthony
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad. People can die just by being in their homes without knowing why.
ReplyDelete