By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
New regulations go only so far as St. Joseph city officials work to reduce the risk of lead poisoning for the community’s youngest members.
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced stricter lead standards.
EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Gulliford says his office is working with St. Joseph health officials to warn parents and others about the dangers of lead poisoning in pre-1978 construction.
“The importance of pre-78 housing is that after 1978 lead was prohibited in paints used in homes and housing,” Gulliford says during a St. Joseph news conference. “So, we particularly look at pre-78 housing as places where there may be lead exposures for children.”
Gulliford says the standard was changed after studies emerged that raised continued concerns about the exposure to lead by very young children, leading the EPA to lower acceptable dust-lead hazard standards for floors from 40 micrograms of lead per square foot to 10 and for window sills dropping it from 250 to 100. It is the first change in the standards since 2001.
St. Joseph Health Director Debra Bradley says her office is running educational campaigns aimed especially at parents and child care providers about new, tighter EPA dust-lead standards for floors and window sills.
“Lead is a heavy metal that occurs naturally in rock and when previously it was added to paint it would enhance color and durability, but lead is an element and it doesn’t go away, which is why once lead is discovered in a home, following EPA guidelines for safety is imperative,” Bradley says.
Bradley says lead poisoning can go undetected, but she says parents need to know there is a simple blood test children can take.
“Children with elevated blood levels can experience serious health effects,” according to Bradley. “If you know your child has lead poisoning, talk to your pediatrician or the city of St. Joseph Health Department about what you can do.”
Bradley says the city will work with parents, no matter how receptive they are to the message.
“It’s kind of a mixed response,” Bradley says of the city’s work with parents on the issue. “There are some parents who are extremely protective and want to do everything they can for their kiddos and then there are others who are a little apprehensive of government involvement and so they’re a little cautious. But, we try to develop that rapport with them, so that they can understand that we’re here to help them and their family and that we just want to make it better for their kids.”