Keep Me Lead Free!

Reducing Childhood Lead Poisoning in Spokane

Read about this project in a March 20th Spokesman Review article!

Lead poisoning affects thousands of children under age six in the U.S. each year. Childhood exposure to lead can lead to reduced IQs, behavior problems, learning and developmental disabilities, brain damage, anemia, and in some cases, death. Exposure to lead here in Spokane comes from many different sources-contaminated beaches on the Spokane River, contaminated industrial sites (such as the BNSF Lead Site in Hillyard), lead-based paint in the home and in toys, residual deposits from past use of leaded gasoline and lead arsenate pesticides, and lead found in drinking water pipes. While the numbers of lead-poisoned children have declined in recent years, the burden of lead poisoning continues to fall disproportionately on low-income families living in older, poorly-maintained housing. In 2005, the Washington State Study of Lead Hazards in Housing classified much of Spokane as "Priority 1," a ranking which represents neighborhoods having the highest concentration of risk factors for childhood lead poisoning, such as older homes and low to moderate median household incomes.

In 2005, a two-year-old child living in a rental property in Spokane's West Central neighborhood was lead poisoned by consuming lead-tainted soil. The soil was likely contaminated by lead paint chips. This child, whose family was previously unaware of lead hazards or the availability of local resources, was hospitalized for many days with a blood lead level of 51 µg/dL*.

In an effort to protect the health of those most affected by exposure to this dangerous environmental toxin, The Lands Council*, with a 2-year Targeted Lead Grant from the EPA, is educating families in Spokane about health effects, risk factors, and prevention of childhood lead poisoning and promoting increased childhood blood-lead screening. Within the project timeframe, we expect to increase awareness of childhood lead poisoning and how to prevent it, and increase documentation of suspected elevated blood-lead levels in inner-city Spokane. EPA's Targeted Lead Grant Program-and projects such as ours that are supported by these grant funds-is playing a major role in meeting the federal goal of eliminating childhood lead poisoning as a major public health concern by 2010.

What have we done so far? Over the past few months, we've used GIS to identify sections of neighborhoods in Spokane exhibiting the highest risks for childhood lead poisoning by noting presence of homes built before 1950 that likely contain lead-based paints, children under age 6, and low median household incomes. Many of the neighborhoods we looked at (e.g. West Central, Hillyard, East Central, Emerson-Garfield, Chief Garry Park, etc.) contained several high-risk sections; most notably Nevada-Lidgerwood and surrounds (click here for neighborhood maps). We will be going door-to-door in the spring and summer to educate families in these neighborhoods about the health effects of childhood lead poisoning, exposure pathways, and how to prevent it.

We've also contracted with a local nurse and are offering free, on-the-spot blood lead screening of kids. Our portable "LeadCare II" machine generates results in 3 minutes. We're creating a burgeoning partnership with staff at Spokane's Head Start and Early Head Start (HS/EHS) program. After educating parents, we held our first two blood lead screenings at the West Central Community Center, targeting kids from both the West Central and Bryant HS/EHS centers. Of the 34 kids we've screened so far, none exhibited high blood lead levels.

Stay tuned for results of more upcoming blood lead screenings, and look for us at community health fairs this year!

*The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) consider a blood lead level to be elevated if it measures over 10 µg/dL.

Current News:

• Take Smart Measures Against Lead Exposure: Op-ed written by Representatives Zack Hudgins and Dan Newhouse - The Spokesman Review March 13, 2008
  

• Press Release: The Lands Council Receives EPA Grant to Reduce Childhood Lead Poisoning in Spokane - October 25, 2007

• The Lands Council has found dedicated interns to assist with our lead outreach work this Spring/Summer.