January 01, 2017
Oakland’s lead levels are dangerously high
Flint, Mich., is a place that has become synonymous with lead poisoning and governmental failure. Yet an unsettling new report from Reuters has found that thousands of communities around the nation are afflicted with even higher levels of poisoning than Flint — and one of those places is Oakland.
A test of 500 children in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland showed that 7.57 percent of them had elevated lead levels in their blood.
That’s far higher than the nationwide average of 2.5 percent, and it also beats Flint’s atrocious levels of 5 percent during the height of its water crisis in 2014-15.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends a public health response for any child who tests high — and rightfully so.
Even small amounts of lead poisoning can negatively impact entire communities, since small elevations of lead levels in children’s blood can reduce their IQs, stunt their development, and increase the risk of behavioral problems.
Unlike Flint’s, Oakland’s rate is probably the result of benign, rather than active, neglect.
Many lower-income communities are plagued by “legacy lead” that persists in older homes from peeling paint or outdated plumbing, or in industrial waste that’s been left behind by businesses.
But Oakland still has a responsibility to help its residents.
There are federal laws requiring homeowners of properties built before 1978 to disclose lead hazards to tenants or buyers, but when it comes to remediation, most residents are on their own.
The regional housing crisis may exacerbate problems — as more lower-income residents squeeze into housing units, more people may be exposed to lead. And tenants who are worried about losing their housing are less likely to complain to landlords about the need for remediation.
One potential solution for Oakland’s leadership would be to find ways to strengthen the Alameda County Healthy Homes Department’s lead poisoning prevention programs. More funding and more partnerships would help this agency help Oakland’s vulnerable citizens, leading to lower public health bills down the road.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Oakland-s-lead-levels-are-dangerously-high-10827512.php
