Let’s build on recent progress in eliminating lead poisoning in children from food, paint and water. • Pennsylvania Capital Star

By Ruth Ann Norton and Jill Rosenthal

Lead is all around us – in us foodus water and even the paint in ours houses. It is also a poison, with lifelong consequences for children exposed to it at an early age. Lead and other toxic chemicals pose a persistent threat to children’s health, damaging their bodies and brains and robbing them of their future. In the U.S, one in 38 children between one and five years old have elevated blood lead levels that require action.

Although the long-term physical and mental health effects Because lead poisoning in children can be devastating and irreversible, lead remains strongly present around us. For example, a recent federal investigation provided a clue cinnamon which is often used in cooking. An approximate one 4.3 million children living in houses with lead paint, the most common source from lead exposure in childhood, putting them at risk every day. Parents inside FlintBaltimore, Detroit, Memphis, Milwaukee and other cities across the country are facing the reality of children being poisoned by lead in their own homes. This is largely the result of decades of redlining and historic disinvestment, which have led to Black children live in racially isolated neighborhoods at greater risk of lead paint exposure.

Eliminating lead poisoning in children would not only protect children from harm but also advance our nation’s economic interests. Lead exposure-related cognitive impairment is estimated to cost $50.9 billion per year in lost economic productivity in the US. However, just by eradicating lead hazards in the US homes with the lowest incomes the federal government would realize a return on that investment in avoided health care and social costs, including reduced educational achievement and income.

Eradicating lead poisoning in children is not an intractable problem, and we are making progress toward identifying lead exposure and eradicating lead hazards. Maryland has reduced lead poisoning in children by 99% since 1993 and, along with nine other states and the District of Columbia, required universal displays for children aged two years and under – a practice that is otherwise largely left to the discretion of healthcare providers.

Baltimore-based nonprofit organization Green & Health Homes initiative (GHHI) partners with Lancaster Pennsylvania largest general hospital to use the hospital’s historic $50 million investment to end lead poisoning in their communities through comprehensive lead screening, home visits and lead exposure testing, indoor remediation, and other strategies. This initiative has already removed lead hazards from more than 418 homes in Lancaster, meaning more than 500 children now live in lead-safe homes. GHHI has developed financing models to address lead risks in homes while improving indoor air quality, energy efficiency and the overall health of residents. But there is still a lot of work to be done.

Regarding lead exposure from unsafe drinking water, the Biden administration has made historic infrastructure investments to dramatically accelerate lead service line replacements. The administration has also proposed aggressive lead reduction regulations that go beyond just water, including through those of the Environmental Protection Agency lead and copper rule improvements and lower lead dust levelsas well as those of the Federal Drug Administration draft guideline about lead in foods marketed to children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also lowered the reference level in blood lead, allowing parents and medical professionals to do so act sooner in identifying and eliminating exposure.

Federal agencies can build on these investments to further prevent lead exposure, as there is no safe level of lead exposure for young children. Recently, the FDA recently recalled applesauce pouches containing lead-contaminated ground cinnamon marketed to children. To that end, the 2025 federal budget must include this increased funding for the FDA to protect food safety.

Moreover, the Biden administration is historic investments in clean energy and climate provide an unprecedented opportunity to address housing-based lead hazards while improving home energy efficiency. With each of these clean energy and climate investments, the federal government wants… must consider the risks of disrupting unstable lead paint as part of the implementation guidelines.

Improve eEnergy efficiency without addressing other hazards, such as lead, mold and pest control, can inadvertently worsen health problems. For example, electrical work on homes built before 1978 (the year lead was not allowed to be used in paint) risks disturbing the lead paint, releasing dust into the air and sealing it when the work is completed. Any construction or renovation in homes built before 1978 should assess potential lead hazards before work begins. And if found, lead paint must be remediated safely to prevent unintended health and safety hazards.

As a country, we can positively change the trajectory of millions of children’s lives by eliminating lead from all sources, including water, food and paint. Recent, unprecedented investments in clean energy and climate are poised to catalyze progress significantly. By building on these changes, we can create safer, healthier, and more resilient communities. Let’s not miss the opportunity to give every child a chance for a better future.

Ruth Ann Norton is the president and CEO of the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative. Jill Rosenthal is director of public health policy at the Center for American Progress.