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Unleaded: A Public Health Victory
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino was one of several distinguished speakers at the Lead Action Coalition's celebration in Dorchester on Oct. 28. See more photos at the bottom of the page.
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November 4, 2010
Public health victories are few and far between, so when Mayor Thomas Menino, Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach, and representatives of community coalitions and government came together this fall, they had a good reason to celebrate. The number of Boston children diagnosed with elevated blood lead levels has dropped by 95% since 1993, according to the Boston Public Health Commission.
This achievement is due in large part to the efforts of the Lead Action Collaborative (LAC), a program coordinated by HRiA.
"It happened because members of LAC, which include folks from the community, community-based organizations, non-profits, the Boston Public Health Commission, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, and others have all worked together in partnership for the past 17 years to make it happen," said Davida Andelman, LAC's director.
The number of children with elevated blood lead levels dropped from 5,590 in 1993 to 278 in 2009, according to the Boston Public Health Commission, Childhood Lead Poison Prevention Program. The trend is continuing through the first nine months of 2010, with 163 cases reported.
Children are the most vulnerable to lead poisoning which can cause damage to the brain, kidney and nervous system, behavioral and learning problems, hearing issues, and headaches.
"The work of the Lead Action Collaborative is a clear demonstration that almost anything is possible when government and community leaders come together with a common purpose and a passion for improved health and quality of life," said Ray Considine, HRiA's president.
Despite this sharp drop in cases, Andelman warned that the problem has not been eliminated, there are still thousands of children with measurable levels of lead in their blood.
"While these numbers show how far we have come, we cannot just rest on our laurels," she said, pointing out that up to 90 percent of Boston's housing stock was built before 1978, the year lead paint was banned.
Andelman notes that future work on lead exposure will be part of a larger, more comprehensive approach that combines efforts to reduce asthma and smoke exposure in the home.
Formed in 1993, LAC has been working at the grassroots level to reduce the incidence of childhood lead poisoning in Boston's highest risk neighborhoods through education and outreach, policy change, and training. LAC provides resources to the community including how to request a free in-home lead test of paint and water, financial support for de-leading a home, and information to property owners, tenants, and child care providers. While lead can be found in a number of places from tap water to toys, the most common source of poisoning in Boston is from lead-based paint.
This achievement is due in large part to the efforts of the Lead Action Collaborative (LAC), a program coordinated by HRiA.
"It happened because members of LAC, which include folks from the community, community-based organizations, non-profits, the Boston Public Health Commission, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, and others have all worked together in partnership for the past 17 years to make it happen," said Davida Andelman, LAC's director.
The number of children with elevated blood lead levels dropped from 5,590 in 1993 to 278 in 2009, according to the Boston Public Health Commission, Childhood Lead Poison Prevention Program. The trend is continuing through the first nine months of 2010, with 163 cases reported.
Children are the most vulnerable to lead poisoning which can cause damage to the brain, kidney and nervous system, behavioral and learning problems, hearing issues, and headaches.
"The work of the Lead Action Collaborative is a clear demonstration that almost anything is possible when government and community leaders come together with a common purpose and a passion for improved health and quality of life," said Ray Considine, HRiA's president.
Despite this sharp drop in cases, Andelman warned that the problem has not been eliminated, there are still thousands of children with measurable levels of lead in their blood.
"While these numbers show how far we have come, we cannot just rest on our laurels," she said, pointing out that up to 90 percent of Boston's housing stock was built before 1978, the year lead paint was banned.
Andelman notes that future work on lead exposure will be part of a larger, more comprehensive approach that combines efforts to reduce asthma and smoke exposure in the home.
Formed in 1993, LAC has been working at the grassroots level to reduce the incidence of childhood lead poisoning in Boston's highest risk neighborhoods through education and outreach, policy change, and training. LAC provides resources to the community including how to request a free in-home lead test of paint and water, financial support for de-leading a home, and information to property owners, tenants, and child care providers. While lead can be found in a number of places from tap water to toys, the most common source of poisoning in Boston is from lead-based paint.
On October 28, 2010, representatives of community-based organizations, non-profits, the Boston Public Health Commission, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, and others gathered at the New England Carpenters Union to celebrate the strides made in fighting lead poisoning in Boston.
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