Lead poisoning still plague in Rochester

From the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

May 14, 2008

Lead was removed from paint in 1978, yet childhood lead poisoning is still at epidemic proportions in Rochester.This preventable plague exists because of the large number of poorly maintained older properties in our city.

While the numbers have improved in the past few years, there were still 426 Rochester children poisoned by lead in 2007 with a testing rate of less than 100 percent in Monroe County. That’s more than 400 children with elevated blood levels of a known neurotoxin, causing permanent brain damage whose effects can range from learning delays to aggression and violence. Ninety percent of those affected are in the city of Rochester and are concentrated in a handful of neighborhoods.

The question remains: After all of the research, outreach, education and funding available to repair homes, why are we still seeing an outrageous number of children poisoned annually? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called for the elimination of childhood lead poisoning by 2010. Here in Rochester and Monroe County, a similar goal of ending childhood lead poisoning was established. When toys from China were found to have lead, legislators at the federal and state level introduced legislation to do better inspections and to maintain high safety standards. At the same time, legislation for primary prevention was passed in the Assembly but has languished in the state Senate for more than five years.

Click here for a link to the full article.