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Lead Poisoning Threatens Area Low-Income and African
American Children
Prevention Ordinance Slated for
City Counsel
Special to The Truth
Together, Toledoans United for Social Action (TUSA) and
Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE) have been
working on a Lead Poisoning Prevention Ordinance for the
City of Toledo.
“Lead poisoning is a serious problem in the City of Toledo
and the problem is clearly concentrated in the low-income
and African American communities, where most, if not all of
the housing stock was built prior to 1950,” says Marcia
Dinkins, TUSA executive director and lead organizer.
“US Census Data from 2010 shows that more than 80,000
African American residents live in the zip codes considered
high risk – this means that 96 percent of Lucas County’s
African American population is at risk for lead poisoning,”
Dinkins adds.
Research by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
shows that lead poisoning can cause permanent damage to the
brain and many other organs and cause reduced intelligence
and behavioral problems. These problems can start in vitro
if a woman is exposed to lead paint or dust while pregnant,
and exposure can also result in fetal abnormalities.
These statistics and others can be found in a report on the
Impact
of Lead Poisoning on Minority and Low Income Communities in
Toledo
published by ABLE. The
report
includes specific at-risk zip code maps and other data that
shows minorities and low-income residents are at much
greater risk for lead poisoning than other demographics.
According to ABLE Attorney Robert Cole, “The report notes
that the majority of the land contained within the
boundaries of the city of Toledo is considered high risk
areas for lead poisoning. The homes in these high risk zip
codes are older and possess a high risk for the presence of
lead paint. The conclusions that can be drawn from the data
regarding which children continue to be exposed to lead
hazards, who is lead poisoned and where they live, is
clear.”
A Lead Ordinance would require that every owner of
residential rental property constructed prior to 1978 must
have the property inspected for lead hazards and must
maintain the property so that it remains free from lead. If
an inspection of the residential rental property shows the
existence of lead, the owner must have the lead hazard
corrected, before the property can be rented.
The Ordinance would also require that every owner of
residential rental property constructed prior to 1978 within
the City of Toledo, obtain a Certificate of Registration of
Lead Safe Residential Rental Property from the Toledo Lucas
County Health Department before letting or otherwise
permitting the occupancy of such residential rental
property.
“The City of Toledo has one of the highest rates of
childhood lead poisoning in Ohio, ranking second highest to
Cleveland for the percentage of children with confirmed
elevated blood lead levels in 2012,” adds Cole. “The dangers
posed by lead poisoning for children fall disproportionately
on Toledo low-income and African American populations. The
enactment of the proposed Lead Ordinance is a matter of
environmental and racial justice.”
TUSA and ABLE will be spearheading a Lead Poisoning
Prevention Summit sometime in September. “Our goal is to
have the Ordinance introduced by Toledo City Council in
September and passed by year?s end,” says Cole. “Enforcement
of the ordinance would start quickly in the most affected
neighborhoods, taking full effect within three years.” |
