It's National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.
Why Does That Matter for Greater Rochester?
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This week, groups large and small are coming together to mobilize communities around lead poisoning prevention. The need for community action is no exception in Greater Rochester.
As a national leader in childhood lead poisoning prevention, our region has already made huge strides to protect families. Recent data from the Monroe County Health Department showed that 151 children tested positive for an elevated blood lead level (EBLL) of 10ug/dL (micrograms per deciliter) in Monroe County. That's a huge drop from the 571 children who tested positive for the same EBLL in 2006-- the same year when the Rochester City Lead Ordinance began to take effect. Many other cities like, Cleveland and Syracuse, have followed in Rochester's model to create policies and community-driven coalitions.
But that doesn't mean our job is done.
Although numbers of lead exposed children are dropping, the number of children getting tested is stagnating. What's more, census data shows that approximately 55.7% of housing units in Monroe County were built before 1978, the date when the U.S. government banned usage of lead in paint. That's a lot of potential lead hazards. Old homes with deteriorating paint aren't the only issue-- the historic homes Rochester is known for can spread lead dust when renovated.
Lead poisoning is an issue that is integrated in almost every prominent issue today. It's an invisible monster that plays a part in conversations about housing inequality, environmental justice, life expectancy, education, crime rates and even rates of dementia in the elderly. The Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning still has dedicated partners that meet monthly, over a decade after being founded, to keep moving the needle.
This National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, we ask you to consider:
"How does lead poisoning affect what I care about most?"
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