Despite a steady decline in high lead levels since the Board of Health started tracking cases in 1992, another 42 severely lead poisoned children were referred to the Board of Health lead poisoning prevention program in 1996. Lead poisoned children with blood lead levels exceeding 25 micrograms per deciliter of blood require prompt medical evaluation and an investigation of lead sources in the children's environment.
National surveys have documented a 78 percent drop in Americans' blood lead levels between 1976 and 1991. Dr. Sue Binder, chief of the lead poisoning prevention branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributes this decline to environmental interventions. "The reductions of lead in gas and food have made a public health difference," she said.
Even at levels below 25 micrograms, lead exposure can lower IQ and attention span, and cause learning disabilities and behavioral problems in children.
These effects are often irreversible, affecting the child's success in school and ultimately their performance as adults. A CDC-funded study of Mahoning County children conducted by researchers at Western Reserve Health Care in 1994 found that about 9 percent of children had lead levels equal to or greater than 10 micrograms per deciliter, the level at which health effects are first noticeable.
The primary cause of childhood lead poisoning is deteriorated lead paint and lead contaminated dust and soil found in homes built before 1978. Although lead was banned from housepaint in 1978, there are still 24,000 homes in Mahoning County that have lead paint hazards.
Suzanne Gomochak, director of the Board of Health's lead poisoning prevention program, believes the steady decrease in high lead levels in children can be attributed in part to their efforts to educate health professionals and the public. Her program provides nursing and environmental consultations, professional workshops, awareness sessions for parents, educators, day care centers, and medical providers, and neighborhood outreach programs.