Prevention: The Only Cure

If 2,400 children had caught the measles last year, the City would have declared a Code blue, a health emergency, unleashing significant resources to contain the outbreak and prevent further cases. That would have been reasonable.

Instead, last year, 2,400 Philadelphia children under the age of six were poisoned by lead. Unlike measles, lead poisoning is a life sentence. You probably wouldn’t have heard about it if not for some great reporting—and there’s not much that’s reasonable about that.

READ IT!  A recent feature published in the Inquirer on the impact on lead poisoned children sent shockwaves across the city.

It’s almost certain a comparable number will be poisoned this year. So much more can be done to protect children.

On Wednesday, a City Council committee took important steps to deal with this crisis, passing three bills introduced back in June following expert testimonies, including one from PCCY’s Health Policy Director Colleen McCauley.

“Most children are poisoned by lead-paint based hazards,” McCauley said, “where they spend the majority of their time – that being in their own home or in the home of another caregiver such as a child care provider.”

That’s why PCCY urges Council to pass Councilwomen’s Helen Gym, Shirley Bass and Blondell Reynolds Brown’s bill on testing for lead in home-based child care environments by mandating testing. Two other bills deal with more disclosure of lead issues when selling property and testing water at public schools.

All three bills provide protections that don’t currently exist and should be passed at the earliest opportunity, which the Inquirer reports could be as early as December 1.

READ IT!  PCCY and other national organizations are pushing President Obama’s Task Force on Environmental Health and Safety Risks to Children to take action to protect kids, including correcting outdated EPA standards on lead.

Councilwoman Brown reminded members that this wasn’t the first time Council was taking important action. Legislation requiring landlords to test for lead to help protect young tenants was also a PCCY-led campaign.

“In 2010, my office worked closely with PCCY [and] tackled the issue of lead paint in apartment buildings,” said Brown. “Over 2 years of sitting down and working closely with HAPCO, and closely with the Department of Health, and closely with PCCY, together, ultimately, we figured out a way to begin to tackle this public health issue. We drafted a win-win outcome.”

But, as McCauley, a nurse by training, told Council’s Committee on Public Health and Human Services, “we can’t save kids for free.” Getting lead out of homes is a costly endeavor but inspections are key. L&I told PCCY that they only have 55 inspectors to cover 80,000 licensed rental properties. Those inspectors only test homes when they receive complaints—too late to help those living there. Proactive inspections could significantly improve conditions for kids, she said, praising the committee for their work.  READ IT!

“We know how to keep kids safe and healthy.  Together, let’s craft sound, efficient, cost-effective and expeditious public policy to save the very next child from permanent damage.”

Send an automated email to your City Councilperson to vote yes on the three bills that will protect kids.  CLICK IT!