The council is likely to vote on the bill on Tuesday, June 29. It drives me crazy. Christopher Arache is one of about 40 youngsters ranging from two months to 12 years old who come to the Montefiore clinic so doctors can track the amount of lead that has tainted the children's blood and settled in their bones. A Tuesday clinic treats children with blood lead levels below 20. The consequences for children in both groups can be enormous.
Complaints range from chronic stomach aches, vomiting, and constipation to permanent brain damage.
Studies associate an IQ drop of nearly six points for every 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood. Studies have linked lead exposure to juvenile delinquency. Most lead exposure occurs in the apartments where children live thus the interest of the real estate lobby, which complains about the expense of lead abatement and liability in civil suits brought on behalf of poisoned children. This is all politics with the real estate industry and unfortunately, the children of New York will be held hostage. By 9 o'clock last Thursday morning, the waiting room in Rosen's clinic was packed with youngsters, most under five years old, watching Teletubbies and parading about with bandages covering their arms where blood had been drawn.