Legislative action expected on childhood lead exposure
Legislation to further protect children from the toxic effects of lead exposure is expected to be presented in the upcoming Georgia General Assembly session.
State Rep. Katie Dempsey, R-Rome, said a final report with recommendations is coming in early December from the House Study Committee on Childhood Lead Exposure she chaired.
“Most are about aligning and complying with the latest (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) definitions for elevated blood levels and environmental intervention issues,” Dempsey said.
The committee met several times in September and October, hearing from health officials, industry experts and advocates.
An analysis of state data by Georgia Health News and the AJC late last year determined which ZIP Codes have the highest percentages of young children testing high for lead levels over the past 10 years.
Four ZIP Codes in Northwest Georgia are in the top 100 for risk — two in Floyd County, one in Chattooga and another in Polk.
The Lindale and Silver Creek area covered by the 30147 ZIP Code ranked highest, with 3.91% of children tested showing high levels of lead. The connecting 30161 area — running out to Coosa, through Rome and up to Shannon — had 3.51% in the trouble zone over the past 10 years.
Polk County’s 30125 ZIP Code around Cedartown had 2.97% and the 30753 area running north from Trion in Chattooga County had 2.66% of its kids affected.
What’s clear is that children exposed to lead at a young age are at higher risk for physical, mental and behavioral problems as adults. And prevention is the best first step.
Early intervention is the second, Dr. Robersteen Howard of Harbin Clinic Pediatrics in Rome told the panel during her testimony in October.
“Lead is a nerve poison,” Howard said as she explained that elevated levels in young children can be “silently causing damage” until they are detected by a blood test.
Howard spoke of twin babies who had normal levels for the universally required test at 12 months but showed high levels in a test at 24 months.
That test was required because their insurance was through Medicaid, she said, but most private insurers won’t cover that unless the environmental risk assessment questionnaire that parents fill out indicates a potential problem.
“With the help of our local health department and environmental services, we were able to identify that the parents had recently moved into a new rental property, and that the property was known to have lead-based paint,” Howard said.
Lead paint was widely used until it was banned in 1978. In addition to toddlers’ propensity to pick off chips, and put things in their mouths, dust from old flaking paint can get into the air and nearby soil. Lead water pipes in old buildings are another common source of exposure.
Howard said the landlord was unwilling to abate the lead and moving was not an option. But the parents were given information on how to decrease the twins’ exposure and while their lead blood levels are still slightly elevated, they’ve dropped significantly.
The case points out a number of barriers to catching and mitigating risks, Howard said. Other experts had similar concerns.
POTENTIAL FOR ACTION
Several recommendations that don’t need additional funding came from Christy Kuriatnyk, director of the Georgia Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.
In addition to expanding lead level testing, Kuriatnyk suggested ways to focus on landlords’ responsibilities. Dempsey indicated the health of renters is on her mind as well.
“There may be the ability to get out of a lease (in the committee’s report),” she said.
A tax break for landlords to offset the cost of abating old paint was suggested by Dr. Robert J. Geller, a professor at Emory University School of Medicine specializing in pediatric medical toxicology and director of the Georgia Poison Center.
Geller said he’d also like to see all women of childbearing age get regularly tested for lead levels, to catch problems before they become pregnant.
While it’s unlikely the report will call for mandated testing, Dempsey said the issue of pregnant women passing their elevated lead level to the child they’re carrying is of concern.
“We need a good educational campaign ... We need to increase accessibility and make sure people know where to get tested,” she said.
New programs that need funding face a higher hurdle in the General Assembly, although there could be some federal help on the horizon.
The infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden on Nov. 15 contains a $55 billion earmark to expand access to safe drinking water, a program that specifically includes the elimination of lead service pipes.
However, Dempsey said federal money often comes with restrictions and she doesn’t know how soon it would be available.
“They have to figure out their policies and procedures, and that can take time,” she said. “Hopefully, by the time we meet in January we will have a better idea if we can get any of that money.”
Another possibility is using some American Rescue Plan Act funds for increased testing.
The money is meant to address COVID-19 related problems and Dempsey said many well-baby visits were skipped due to the pandemic.
Dempsey heads the House human services budget subcommittee and has long advocated for ways to head off societal problems rooted in childhood illness, deprivation or trauma. She sponsored House Resolution 52 to create the study committee after the lead issue came to the forefront.