Childhood lead poisoning is the most important and preventable environmental problem among American
children.
Children with elevated blood lead concentrations are more likely to be inattentive, hyperactive, disorganized, aggressive, and delinquent.
Lead exposure in children is often difficult to see. Most children have no obvious immediate symptoms.
However, exposure to lead can cause:
Damage to the brain and nervous system
Slowed growth and development
Learning and behavior problems
Hearing and speech problems
A study in Detroit public schools found that high blood lead levels were strongly
associated with poor academic performance in elementary and middle schools, even after adjustment for potential confounding variables.
In all school subjects studied, children scoring badly had much higher mean blood lead levels than
children scoring well on standardized tests.
Another study in Chicago public schools estimated that 13% of reading failures and 14.8% of math
failures in children can be attributed to elevated blood lead concentrations.
Very often, these health problems are permanent.
Philadelphia has a major childhood blood lead problem, with one out of 25 children tested having
elevated levels, compared to one out of 100 children in other cities studied.
The average child in Philadelphia has a blood lead level above 3.5 µg/dL- a threshold the CDC considers elevated and dangerous. This means that the average child in the city is exposed to harmful levels of lead.
Philadelphia children are at high risk throughout the city, but risk is concentrated in some areas due
to multiple factors.
Lead-based paint remains the most common source of childhood lead poisoning and is present in millions
of older homes. Lead-based paint was banned in new housing construction in 1978, but 84% of Philadelphia
homes were built before the ban.
Building demolitions in many areas of Philadelphia have been high in the past decade. Demolitions of older homes can push lead dust into the air, where children can inhale it. And, studies show that children who inhale lead dust are more at risk than children who swallow soil or paint containing lead, as dust has a more direct path to the brain.
Additionally, children can be poisoned by lead found in soil. Children in Philadelphia are especially at
risk, as Philadelphia was once a major industrial center with lead smelters all
over the city. In fact, Philadelphia had more lead smelters than any city in America.
Even with these smelters no longer operating, the residues they left in the soil remain indefinitely.
And, Philadelphia's development boom in former industrial areas is disturbing contaminated soil, bringing buried lead back to the surface.
Reporters have even found that playgrounds once considered safe showed dangerous levels of lead dust after development began at nearby vacant lots.
These industrial smelters left a lasting mark beyond their immediate locations. The 500-meter impact zones around each site reveal the extent of their reach- and how much of the city may have been affected.
Philadelphia elementary and elementary/middle schools are densely located across the city, many within
former smelter impact zones.
Many playgrounds in Philadelphia are also located within impacted zones.
Studies have found high lead levels in soil around Philadelphia. The threshold for dangerous levels is 400 mg/kg, but sites in Philadelphia have been found with levels above 18,000 mg/kg.
However, although the picture may seem grim, Philadelphia has made large strides in the past few decades in addressing this problem.
In 2011, nearly 20% of children had elevated blood lead levels. Today, that number is between 4 and 6%.
Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, commissioner of the city Department of Public Health, stated that "Those numbers are still too high, but they show that despite Philadelphia's large stock of older homes and apartments in which lead paint is still too common, we can make progress against lead poisoning."
The decline is due to city-wide efforts, such as a 2020 policy that required landlords in high-lead zip codes to have their properties inspected for lead paint.
And, the city provides resources to Philly residents in need, such as blood testing for children and help with removing lead in homes.
Hopefully, by continuing to support such efforts, Philadelphia can build a future where every child grows up safe from the dangers of lead.