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October 28, 2007 - For many kids, lead threat is right in their own homes - Greg Toppo, USA TODAY.
July 2007 (Updated) - Can All Children Learn? - Not if they have been poisoned - Children exposed to lead have "increased reaction time" and "increased distractibility" plus "robust deficits in … reading, spelling, math and word recognition" because of an "inability to inhibit inappropriate responding" (misbehavior), "and inability to change response strategy" (learn). And the "behavioral mechanisms responsible for these deficits" are "congruent," meaning they are exactly the same as, "the behavioral processes identified as underlying the deficits inflicted by developmental lead exposure." In other words, scientists know lead exposure causes much of what politicians blame failing schools for, Arizona School Boards Association.
September 2006 - One-third of ADHD cases linked to lead, prenatal smoking, West Central Tribune (Willmar, MN).
April 6, 2005 - NEAT letter to members of the Minnesota State Legislature on lead poisoning in Hennepin and Ramsey counties.
"Even low concentrations of lead in the blood can cause reduced IQ, shortened attention span, problems with reading and learning, hyperactivity, and behavior problems" (Symonik, Bernauer, & Falken, 2002).
WAYS TO MEASURE
- Percentage of Children Under Age 6 with High Lead Levels Living in Housing Built Before 1946, by Ethnicity
- Percentage of Children Under Age 6 with High Lead Levels, by Poverty Status
WHAT THE DATA SHOWS
- Universal screening is recommended for children residing in Minneapolis and St. Paul and those recently arriving from other major metropolitan areas. [Minnesota Blood Lead Surveillance Data, 2003]
- UNIVERSAL SCREENING IN RAMSEY AND HENNEPIN COUNTIES IS NOT REQUIRED BY LAW
- About 2,000 children a year in Minnesota are identified as having elevated levels of lead in their blood (greater than10 ug/dL). [Minnesota Medical Association, October 2002]
- Approximately 85 percent of the reports of elevated lead levels in Minnesota come from Hennepin and Ramsey counties. [Minnesota Blood Lead Surveillance Data, 2003]
- Suggesting that 1,700 children in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties are identified as having elevated lead levels each year.
Scope: According to the MDE, there were 88,519 students in MPS and SPPS in 2003; 1,700 is 2% of total enrollment; that's two out of every 100 children affected by elevated lead levels. (This is a rough estimate; does not include pre-K-12 (infant-early ed), private, homeschooled, charter or first-ring suburban public school students; but then, 1,700 children each year adds up over the years when it's essentially the same pool of children with exposure.)
Elevated lead levels and schools making AYP:
- A 2003 study in Michigan showed schools having more children with lead poisoning greater than 10 ug/dL is significantly related to not achieving AYP status. [Memorandum; Map]
- No Child Left Behind requires student achievement be reported by income and ethnicity.
- Lead incidence data in Minnesota is not reported by ethnicity [Email exchange, Minnesota Department of Public Health, October 2004] even though data collection by race is required by law (Minnesota Statute 144.9502 Lead surveillance and the occurrence of lead in the environment).
Elevated lead levels and newly arrived immigrant children:
April 2004 - New to the Neighborhood: Immigrant Report, A report by the United Way of the Greater Twin Cities that looks at the specific needs of immigrant families (page 16).
- About a third of Somali and Laotian children, and over half of SE Asian children tested by the Minnesota Department of Health in 1998 had lead poisoning.
- Chart -
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Minnesota Department of Health - Lead poisoning prevention.
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
No More Lead - Minneapolis organization working to help parents get the lead out.
Sustainable Resources Center - "Any child that lives in Minneapolis or St. Paul is considered at risk for lead poisoning."
Lead Poisoning - National Safety Council
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