The report assigned Montgomery County a failing grade for its record in testing for childhood lead poisoning. According to the US Center for Disease Control, lead poisoning remains the number one environmental threat to kids, yet healthcare providers who fail to screen children for lead are not held accountable by local or state health authorities. We need to do more to prevent lead exposure in children. The study finds that between 1993 and 1998, over 3,500 children between the ages of one and five in Montgomery County were estimated to have harmful lead blood levels. Only a little over 1,000 were reported to the state, meaning there could be as many as 2,500 children in the area with high levels of lead in their blood who remain undetected and untreated.
Lead poisoning can cause decreased intelligence and impaired behavioral development.
Clearly, lead poisoning is still a problem and a great concern for all healthcare providers, parents, and anyone else who cares about our children. Environmental Defense, a leading national nonprofit organization based in New York, represents more than 300,000 members. Since 1967 we have linked science, economics, and law to create innovative, equitable, and cost-effective solutions to the most urgent environmental problems. Ohio Citizen Action campaigns on issues from public health and the environment to utilities and insurance rates.