Lead is a toxic metal that is often
found in old paint. The amount of lead in paint was
greatly reduced in 1950, and then eliminated altogether
in 1978 - around the same time it was removed from
gasoline in the US.
Lead affects the nervous system, especially one
that is still developing. For this reason, lead
has a much more detrimental effect on a child under
the age of six than it would on an adult.
The most common way for lead to enter the body
is through hand to mouth activity. Infants and children
put their hands in their mouths frequently, and
they crawl on floors and the ground where lead dust
may lurk. It is possible to become poisoned from
eating small lead paint chips, however it is more
likely that a lead painted door or window is creating
lead dust every time it is opened or closed. This
dust gets on the hands and toys of children and
thereby enters their mouths.
Historically, lead poisoning policy has relied
on blood lead screening to identify already-poisoned
children. But relying on children as "lead
detectors" postpones action until after permanent
damage has been done. To make matters worse, the
widepread failure of public health screening leaves
the majority of lead-poisoned children undiagnosed
and untreated. Protecting children from lead poisoning
requires policy solutions to prevent and control
lead hazards in the environment, particularly in
children's homes, and to identify and treat lead
poisoned children.
This program will begin with a mini-documentary
that features Dr. Steven Marcus, a Professor of
Preventive Medicine and Community Health at UMDNJ
and Maureen Havlusch, whose child suffered from
lead poisoning after she moved into an older home.
Also interviewed in the piece is Senator Ronald
Rice, who is sponsoring a bill to provide for lead
abatement assistance, and John Weber who handles
this issue for NJ Citizen Action.
In the studio our discussion will focus on:
