Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Editorial: Lead safety needs city's commitment
How can Roanoke say it is dedicated to a program whose funding will expire at year's end?
From the RoundTable blog
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Somewhat forgotten in the rush to pull lead-tainted toys from store shelves is that thousands of children in this country are exposed to lead on a regular basis in homes, including homes in Roanoke.
With the help of grants, Roanoke has made small gains in recent years to educate residents about the dangers of lead-based paint. The city also has taken steps to reduce residents' exposure to deteriorating lead paint in their homes.
But the efforts of Lead-Safe Roanoke are destined to slide if Roanoke does not fully commit itself to the program.
City officials signaled their waning commitment when they decided earlier this year not to reapply for grant funding. Its Lead Hazard Control Grant expires Dec. 31.
City Manager Darlene Burcham wrote in a May commentary that the city remains committed to the program, but will not reapply for additional funding until staff can determine future funding needs.
After 312 years, lead remediation work is expected to be completed on roughly 100 of the estimated 1,500 Roanoke homes where children and chipping, peeling lead paint reside.
Once funds run out, where will that leave the remaining 1,400 homes? On hold, with residents left to rely solely on educational tools the city has provided them on how to protect themselves and their children from exposure.
As USA Today reported this week, it isn't Barbie's Dream House that is making children sick, but their own houses. Lead affects the brain, kidneys and nervous system. It has been linked to lower IQs, learning difficulties and behavioral problems.
From 2000 to 2006, 431,800 U.S. children under age 6 who were tested had elevated blood lead levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 3,700 of those children were in Virginia.
And of the state's 360 ZIP codes deemed high risk for childhood lead poisoning by the Virginia Department of Health, five are in Roanoke.
Lead safety needs more devoted attention, and funding, than Roanoke appears willing to give.
The city would do better to signal commitment to Lead-Safe Roanoke rather than signaling a desire to relegate the program to a back burner.
