Name of Report: Issue Brief: Childhood Lead Poisoning
Organizational Affiliation: Rhode Island KIDS COUNT
Author : N/A
Contact Information : Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, One Union Station, Providence , RI 02903, 401-351-9400 (telephone), rikids@rikidscount.org (e-mail)
www.rikidscount.org (website)
Date : February 2003
Pages : 12
Content Summary
This report explores lead poisoning as both a health problem and a housing problem. It describes the impact of lead exposure and explains how children are screened for lead exposure in Rhode Island . There is a chart on page five which shows the incidence in each city of elevated blood levels among children under the age of six. The report also explains the process for medical treatment of elevated blood lead levels in children. It outlines the process from inspection to enforcement to abatement of homes that have high lead levels. The report also describes The Lead Mitigation Act, which aims to strengthen tenants’ rights related to household lead hazards, and explains how community involvement in the efforts to eliminate lead hazards in homes is necessary. The report gives excellent recommendations for outreach and education, screening and treatment, increasing affordable housing, and how to make houses safe for children. Throughout the report there are boxes which clarify points in the report or add to the readers' understanding of the issues presented. This report is directed toward a general audience, but also makes specific recommendations for policymakers.
Major Findings
The report finds that Rhode Island is a leader for screening young children for lead poisoning. In 2002 in Rhode Island , almost 2,500 children screened (7%) had elevated blood levels, which is above the national average. The report shows that children who are poor, live in urban settings, and are minorities are at greater risk for having elevated blood levels. According to a chart on page three, 17.9% of Black children under the age of six have elevated blood lead levels, over three times the rate experienced by White children (5.4%). In addition, 11.8% of Asian children and 9.8% of Hispanic children have elevated blood levels in Rhode Island . The authors suggest that a combination of poverty, urban residence and lack of affordable housing, all of which disproportionately affect minorities, contribute to these disparities. In addition, poor nutrition and anemia, which are also associated with poverty and minority status, further increase a child’s susceptibility to lead poisoning.
Related Issues
In a 1998 report comparing Providence County , Rhode Island and Worcester County , Massachusetts the researchers found that lead exposure is linked to the differential patterns of urbanization and industrial activity and that a history of abatement can reduce lead exposure. The authors noted that lead exposure in census tracts with minority neighborhoods varies in complex ways between the counties and that attention to local context forms an essential component of understanding how public health interventions will continue to affect the geography of childhood lead poisoning
Reference List
Bailey, Adrian J., James D.Sargent, and Megan K. Blake. "A Tale of Two Counties: Childhood Lead Poisoning, Industrialization, and Abatement in New England ." Economic Geography. 74 (1998): 96-111.
How to Access Report
http://www.rikidscount.org/