Opinion ID: 1787304
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Problem of Lead Poisoning from Lead-Based Paints.

Text: ¶ 29. According to the Center for Disease Control's (CDCs) Preventing Lead Poisoning in Young Children, 1 (Oct. 1991) (hereinafter  Preventing Lead Poisoning ), it is well-recognized that given children's rapidly developing nervous systems, [c]hildren are particularly susceptible to lead's toxic effects. Id. Because the human body cannot differentiate between lead and calcium, after lead has remained in the bloodstream for a few weeks, it is then absorbed into bones, where it can collect for a lifetime. EPA, Lead In Your Home: A Parent's Reference Guide, 4 (June 1998). Once lead enters the child's system, more lead is absorbed than would be in adults. Preventing Lead Poisoning, 11. ¶ 30. Children are more exposed to lead than older groups because their normal hand-to-mouth activities may introduce many nonfood items into their gastrointestinal tract. Id. The CDC noted that [p]ica, the repeated ingestion of nonfood substances, has been implicated in cases of lead poisoning; however, a child does not have to eat paint chips to become poisoned. Id., 18. It is more common for children to ingest dust and soil contaminated with lead from paint that either has flaked or chalked as it aged or has been otherwise disturbed during home maintenance or renovation. Id., 18. This lead-contaminated house dust, ingested via normal repetitive hand-to-mouth activity, is now recognized as a major contributor to the total body burden of lead in children. Id., 18. Thus, [b]ecause of the critical role of dust as an exposure pathway, children living in sub-standard housing and in homes undergoing renovation are at particular risk for lead poisoning. Id., 18. ¶ 31. The consequences of child lead poisoning are well documented. According to the CDC: Very severe lead exposure in children (blood lead levels ≥80µg/dL) can cause coma, convulsions, and even death. Lower levels cause adverse effects on the central nervous system, kidney, and hematopoietic system. Blood lead levels as low as 10µg/dL, which do not cause distinctive symptoms, are associated with decreased intelligence and impaired neurobehavioral developments. Id., 9. The CDC also states that the weight of the evidence clearly supports the hypothesis that decrements in children's cognition are evident at blood lead levels well below 25 g/dL. Id. ¶ 32. Although lead can originate from many different materials, such as food, soil, water, or air, lead paint is the primary culprit. The CDC concluded that [l]ead-based paint is the most common source of high-dose lead poisoning. Id., 65. Numerous studies have established that the risk of lead poisoning is related to the presence of lead-based paint and to the condition of such paint. Id., 18. As the United States Department of Health and Human Services determined in Toxicological Profile for Lead, 407 (July 1999): [T]he most common source of lead exposure for children is lead-based paint that has deteriorated into paint chips and lead dusts and that the most common sources of lead exposure for adults are occupational. Similarly, in 1990, the Food and Drug Administration estimated that toddlers (2-year-olds) received 16% of their total lead exposure from food . . . 1% from soil, 7% from water, and 75% from dust. Id. at 415. ¶ 33. Lead poisoning disproportionately affects lower-income, inner-city populations. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) (conducted from October 1991 to September 1994) indicated that BPb levels among children aged 1-5 years were more likely to be elevated among those who were poor, non-Hispanic, black, living in large metropolitan areas, or living in older housing (with potential exposure to lead from lead-based paint). Id. The differences in housing conditions and exposures to lead-containing house dust appear to contribute to the racial differences in urban children's [BPb] levels. Id., 417. ¶ 34. Approximately 3 million tons of lead remain in an estimated 57 million occupied private housing units built before 1980. Preventing Lead Poisoning, 18. Of those units, 3.8 million contain children and deteriorated lead paint. Id. Although lead paint is typically found on kitchen and bathroom walls, it is also commonly found on doors, windows, and wood trim in pre-1950s homes. Id., 19. ¶ 35. As mentioned, the risk of lead poisoning is increased when the paint itself, or underlying surface on which it is painted, has deteriorated. Id. Lead paint on windows is particularly concerning because it is abraded into dust by the repeated opening and closing of these windows. Id. However, even if it is intact, the risk of lead poisoning is greater if the lead paint is located on surfaces accessible to children. Id.