January 2017
Dangerous lead levels found in children living in Oakland
OAKLAND (KRON) — Dangerous levels of lead have been found in children living in Oakland.
But what is alarming is that the percentage of lead found in the Fruitvale District is higher than the lead levels in children living in Flint, Michigan.
Flint has had a well-documented problem with lead in its water.
However, as KRON4 has learned, the Fruitvale District has a different kind of lead problem.
A recent Reuters news report stated that lead levels in Oakland’s Fruitvale District are worse than the levels that were discovered in Flint.
The problem in Flint was in the water.
“People see the word Flint, Michigan, and then they see Oakland lead poisoning, and then they think water,” Alameda County Healthy Homes Department Director of Operations Larry Brooks said. “It’s not the water here. It’s the lead paint.”
“In the 25 years that we have been responding to elevated lead cases, we found that primarily it’s due to deteriorated lead-based paint,” Brooks said. “City of Oakland (found) more than 90 percent of the homes built in Oakland were built prior to 1980. And lead was not removed from residential paint until 1978. Also, soil has been one of the primary sources…”
So, what is the City of Oakland doing about buildings covered with lead-based paint.
“When their code enforcement officers find lead hazards, they report them to us,” Brooks said.
http://wiat.com/2017/01/01/dangerous-lead-levels-found-in-children-living-in-oakland/
Lead Contamination in Oakland
Lead contamination in Oakland represents a serious and persistent public health threat. Significant portions of the City of Oakland, California have soil lead levels far in excess of 400 ppm, the level that the US EPA suggests remedial action be taken at, and far higher than 80 ppm, the level that California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment suggests action should be taken at.
[1] Lead contamination in modern Oakland comes from three primary sources: remnants from previous industry, deposits from pre-ban leaded gasoline, and paint chips from pre-ban leaded paints.
[2][3] Not all areas of Oakland are affected equally: West Oakland's contamination is especially severe, particularly near the former Oakland Army Base, and many of Oakland's poorer neighborhoods also suffer disproportionately (since residents often lack the socioeconomic resources to remediate their lawns, or even to repaint their houses).
[4] High blood levels of lead have been linked to a wide variety of health problems, including severe gastrointestinal, neuromuscular, and neurological symptoms.
[5][6] These problems are especially significant in children, and childhood lead poisoning can lead to behavioral problems, developmental disorders, and permanent decreases in IQ.[5]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_contamination_in_Oakland
