A Comprehensive Plan for Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Initiatitves: 2025 – 2028

 

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As shared on Instagram
November 15, 2024
Last Updated: November 16, 2024

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DRAFT IN PROGRESS:

Here’s a list for Lead Poisoning Prevention Initiatives that could be implemented in the next four years (with a little collaboration, conversation, and enforcement!)

[I will be working on this over the next couple of days (in response to the inquiry shared in the screenshot above)… It’s a draft outline right now – so check back here later. I will share it on the Lead Safe Mama email newsletter as soon as it is finished!]

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 Background of the Issue of Childhood Lead Poisoning

• Childhood Lead poisoning is the single most societally expensive and single most preventable environmental illness impacting children (and families today).
• In 2011, Dr. Leonardo Trasande (currrently with NYU Medical) estimated (in his published environment impact report) that the total cost of environmental impacts on children’s health was $76,600,000,000 ($76.6 Billion) annually.
• Of that $76.6 Billion in annual impacts from toxics exposures to children, $50.9 billion of those costs were attributable to Lead exposure. 
• Said another way environmental impacts of all toxicants combined – excluding Lead – is $25.7 Billion annually.
• Said another way – the impacts of all other chemicals combined on children’s health (mercury, bpa, pfas, plastics, etc) is only about HALF the financial impacts of Lead alone.
• Lead poisoning was not eradicated with the 1978 “ban” on Lead in house paint, and is very much still a significant problem in the United States today.
• This $50.9 billion annual cost (in 2011 dollars) is conservative and focuses on medical impacts and I.Q. loss, both of which are metrics that do not begin to quantify the true financial impacts of Lead exposure. Costs omitted from this economic impact report include: relocation costs, renovation cost, lost income of parents managing their children’s lead exposure and subsequent disabilities, legal system costs, long-term disability support costs, special education costs (through college and beyond), incarceration costs, and more.
• The true cost is much, much greater – likely in the range of hundreds of billions annually in the United States alone – when all costs (both long-term and short-term) to families and to society are taken into account.

To reiterate: Childhood Lead Poisoning is the SINGLE MOST EXPENSIVE and SINGLE MOST PREVENTABLE environmental illness impacting families today. To not address this issue with a comprehensive plan for primary prevention would be criminal.

For a full discussion of this concern please watch the documentary film on the subject that we directed and produced. Link here.

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The guiding principle for each of these areas will be to rely on the latest science in each area – science that is not protective of industry – but science that is focused on being fully protective of human health (with the priority being protecting children – our most vulnerable citizens). 

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Focus Area Index (Details for Each of These Areas Are Below)

1. Maternal Health (Prenatal / Preconception)
2. Children’s Health (Birth to 18 years+)
3. Comprehensive Blood Lead Level Testing (not age restricted)
4. Occupational Health Standards & The Impact on Children
5. Comprehensive Health Protective Standards for Lead in Housing
6. Comprehensive Health Protective Standards for Lead in Water
7. Comprehensive Protections for Children and Students in School (through college)
8. Comprehensive Standardized Limits for Lead (& other toxicants) in all foods
9. Comprehensive Regulation for  Non-Food Personal Care Products
10. Comprhensive Regulation of Cookware and Kitchenware
11. Comprehensive Regulation of Decorative Consumer Goods
12. Supporting Families of Lead Poisoned Children
13. Enforcement of Fine & Penalties to Landlords & Contractors
14. An appropriate XRF instrument in every health department
15. Functional Disability Accommodations For People with Lead Poisoning in School
16. Right to Lead-free housing for required college housing
17. Comprehensive Education of Medical Providers
18. Hazard Assessment of All Homes with transfer of resident (rental or purchase)
19. Science-Based Improvements to the EPA RRP Rule

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Focus Area #1)

Maternal Health (Preconception / Prenatal)

Narrative: Childhood Lead poisoning prevention starts with mom. If mothers (and prospective mothers) are made aware of the persistent / current / ongoing concern for childhood Lead poisoning in America today – they will be in position to take action for primary prevention (to prevent childhood Lead poisoning BEFORE it happens). Key actions include:

• All interventions below should not be contingent on any demographic factors (race, socio-economic, religion, etc.)
  • Modeled after the Finnish baby box policy – which is for all citizens who have babies.
  • Given the demonstrated impact of dietary concerns to elevate BLL’s above 0.5, traditional “risk factors” should not be considered (as they are no longer relevant).
• Comprehensive annual preconception blood lead level (BLL*) testing (with the Pap Smear schedule), starting in the teen years.
• Comprehensive prenatal blood lead level (BLL) testing, testing starting with the first OBGYN visit in pregnancy.
• Comprehensive public health education for women of childbearing age (starting in high school?) regarding Lead exposure and the potential impacts of Lead exposure on a child. This could be a one-day (8 hour) class or a certificate class along the lines of current programs for “First Aid”, “CPR”, or “Pool Safety”
• Interventions for women who test positive with a BLL of 0.3* (micrograms of Lead per deciliter of blood) or higher (with the above initiatives):
  • Home assessments
  • Dietary assessments
  • Additional Education

*0.3 is not arbitrary – it is based on the research of Dr. Felicia Rabito (Professor, Tulane), whose 2014 published research study demonstrated negative birth outcomes (and pregnancy complications) were correlated with BLL’s as low as 0.43 (and possibly lower).

BLL testing with point-of-care screening tools (in clinic) can cost as little as $7.00 per test (2015 numbers). Magellan Diagnostic’s LeadCare II has just recently been approved for testing down to a BLL of 1.5. Labcorp can test down to BLL’s as low as 0.1 with a doctor’s prescription.

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Focus Area #2)

Children’s Health (Birth to 18+ years)

Current standards & initiatives for childhood Lead poisoning prevention focus on children ages 1 year old to six years old. This is a misguided focus as children of any age can be poisoned and children of any age (into young adulthood and beyond) can be greatly impacted by Lead exposure. Our responsibility to protect children from Lead exposure (and inform and educate parents) should start at birth and extend through college.

• Change recommended blood testing intervals to be more protective of children’s health.
  • Pre-crawling (6 to 8 monhts)
  • Post-crawling (12-15 months)
  • Every 6 months through age 3
  • Annually after age three, through age 18 (with annual checkups)
• Increase education to pediatricians regarding potential sources of Lead exposure that impact children of all ages
  • Parental occupational exposures
  • Dietary exposures
  • Housing exposures
  • School exposures
  • Hobby related exposures for children (including hunting & shooting sports, fishing, model making, electronic-focused hobbies, stained glass, etc.)
• Expand the pediatric screening questionnaire for childhood Lead poisoning to include the above considerations
  • Remove socioeconomic considerations from the questionnaire
  • Remove racial demographic from the questionnaire
• Support change to low threshold of detection for most commonly used BLL testing methodologies to lowest possible thresholds of detection (approaching 0.1 micrograms per decilitier)

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Focus Area #3)

Blood Lead Testing (Comprehensive – not age restricted)

• x
• x
• x
• x

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Focus Area #4)

Occupational Health Standards (OSHA) and the Impact on Children

• x
• x
• x
• x

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Focus Area #5)

Standardization of Housing Concerns to Be Protective of Children’s Health

• Testing guidelines & Limits (dust, water, soil)
• x
• x
• x

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Focus Area #6)

Standardization of Water Concerns to be Protective of Children’s Health

• Housing, School, Public Water Sources
• Fluoride concerns
• x
• x

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Focus Area #7)

Standardization of School Concerns (regardless of age of construction of school buildings) – for all schools, pre-K throuugh University (including University Housing)

• x
• x
• x
• x

For more information about the concern for childhood Lead poisoning, please watch the documentary film that I directed and produced: 

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