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JoAnn Lemaster gasps when she learns how high
children’s blood-lead levels are in La Oroya, Peru. As a member of the Illinois Childhood Lead Poisoning
Advisory Council, Lemaster is accustomed to dealing with problems caused by
lead, but she wasn’t aware of the current crisis in the foreign city.
“That’s heartbreaking,” Lemaster
says. Childhood lead poisoning is not nearly as severe in
Springfield and other Illinois cities as it is in La Oroya, but Lemaster
says that the state’s children have continued to display blood-lead
levels of more than the recommended limit of 10 micrograms per deciliter. According to statistics, Illinois ranks first in the
nation in too-high blood-lead levels among children ages 6 and under. In 2005, 66 percent of children tested had blood-lead
levels between 10 and 14 micrograms per deciliter, 19 percent had levels
between 15 and 19, and 1 percent had levels of 45 or higher.
Gary Flentge, division chief for environmental health
at the Illinois Department of Public Health, attributes the high levels to
the state’s aggressive blood-testing program. He says that the
department began tracking childhood lead poisoning in 1973, whereas most
other states did not start tackling the problem until the ’90s.
The presence of older homes in cities such as
Springfield and Chicago also contributes to high levels of childhood lead
poisoning, Lemaster says.
“Typically the rule of thumb is that any home
built before 1978 has a high likelihood of having lead in the house,”
she says. “The lead paint creates dust, which is breathed in by all
members of the family. With the oral behaviors of very young children, they
will be inhaling and ingesting that lead.”
For these reasons, Lemaster says, Springfield is one
of seven areas in the state targeted for more screenings and education to
prevent childhood lead poisoning. Statistics show that 3.8 percent of
children tested in Sangamon County have abnormally high blood-lead levels
— one of the highest incidence rates in the state. Several Springfield agencies have taken notice of the
problem and implemented prevention and intervention measures. The Office of Planning and Economic Development
recently finished its first $2.16 million grant from the federal Department
of Housing and Urban Development for lead-hazards control. During the
grant’s three-year term, the office conducted 228 lead assessments,
cleared 154 residences of all lead hazards, and screened 5,000 children for
lead poisoning. Chet Schneider, the office’s operations
coordinator, says that he is working on securing a similar grant that would
take effect in 2008. Flentge recently began working with the Illinois Lead
Program, a new initiative formed when the Illinois Childhood Lead Poisoning
Prevention Program merged with the Environmental Lead Program last
November. He says the program has been active in locating
childhood lead poisoning and its sources by screening more than 300,000
children a year and educating families on lead’s harmful effects. “Lead poisoning is just that — a
poison,” Flentge says. “Lead is a toxic metal to our body.
There is no level that is safe. “Any amount of it is causing some damage, and
it is irreversible damage if it occurs.”
As part of her work with the advisory council,
Lemaster also helps promote prevention of childhood lead poisoning. She
encourages parents to check labeling in toys, jewelry, watches, and purses
for lead warnings; to provide a healthy diet containing fruits and
vegetables for their children; and to encourage children to wash their
hands and to play in grass rather than in dirt.
The most important thing, Lemaster says, is to
increase awareness and availability of lead screenings. “We need to bring more awareness to the public
and parents,” she says. “I’d really like to emphasis the
prevention part: Get your child screened as early as 6 months.”
Contact Amanda Robert at arobert@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 1, 2007.
