Blame HUD for America’s Lead Epidemic

A coalition of civil legal aid groups, medical providers and public health experts have filed a petition with HUD urging critical amendments to its lead-poisoning prevention regulations.

Op-Ed (NATIONAL)

New York Times (NYT)
March 4, 2016
READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Tags: Housing, Lead Poisoning

Organizations mentioned/involved: Loyola Law School, Health Justice Project


DETAILS

While the C.D.C. recommends intervention for lead poisoning at 5 micrograms per deciliter, HUD regulations do not call for action until after a child’s blood lead level is 20 micrograms per deciliter, or 15 to 19 micrograms per deciliter over three months — levels that cause severe and permanent brain damage.

These regulations are the most egregious contributors to the epidemic of lead poisoning in public and low-income housing. I have spent six years working with Loyola University Chicago law students, the Erie Family Health Center and civil legal aid organizations on cases involving low-income families living in unhealthy housing. We have seen firsthand how chipping, cracking lead paint creates toxic living conditions.