CLEVELAND -- There is no safe blood-lead level for children, yet Cleveland is among the cities with the highest rates of lead poisoning. Over the past year, as COVID-19 hit the globe, Cleveland children spent more time than ever inside homes with potential lead hazards, while fewer got tested to see if they’ve been exposed.
Simply put, lead poisoning is a crisis.
Lead exposure can damage a developing brain and cause lifelong, often irreversible, problems. According to a recent Case Western Reserve University study, Cleveland children with elevated blood lead levels had a 27% lower chance of being on track for kindergarten and were 35% more likely to be incarcerated as adults.
The study also underscored what so many of us have always known — Black children are disproportionately affected by lead poisoning, and lead exposure is concentrated in historically redlined and segregated neighborhoods.
The Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition came together to address these staggering realities. Today, we have over 450 members representing more than 120 organizations. Though we may come from different backgrounds, we all believe that no child should be lead-poisoned.
Lead poisoning is a crisis, but we know safe housing is the solution. We know lead-based paint and the dust it creates is the most common cause of lead exposure. We also know that by proactively remediating the homes containing lead-based paint – potentially 90% of our housing stock in Cleveland – we can prevent lead poisoning before it occurs.
The city of Cleveland’s Lead Safe Certification law took the transformational step of requiring all rental units built before 1978 to be certified as lead-safe. This approach works. Using a similar Lead Safe Certification, the city of Rochester successfully reduced lead poisoning rates in Monroe County by almost 85% within 10 years.
Augie Napoli is president and CEO of United Way of Greater Cleveland.
The law is only part of the solution. In a housing market like ours, the Lead Safe Certification must be paired with resources for residents and landlords. The Lead Safe Home Fund – created by the Coalition – will provide those resources.
Today, because of the fund, any Clevelander can call or visit the community’s new Lead Safe Resource Center at 4600 Euclid Avenue. The Lead Safe Resource Center is a one-stop shop for lead poisoning prevention. It helps landlords navigate the Lead Safe Certification, educates and engages residents on lead poisoning, and trains community members to become lead-safe workers.
But that’s not all. The Lead Safe Home Fund provides financial assistance directly to landlords to achieve their Lead Safe Certification.
We can’t mandate our way to lead safety. We need loans, grants, and incentives to make it achievable. We are inviting all Cleveland landlords to call the Lead Safe Resource Center at 833-601-LEAD (5323) to see if you are eligible for assistance.
After 18 months of preparation, the Lead Safe Certification law takes effect today, March 31. Every rental unit, scheduled by ZIP code, will be required to get certified over the next two years.
We know this won’t be easy. Changing expectations, implementing a proactive inspection system, building trust within the community, and deploying new home-repair products will require persistence and, yes, adjustment. We are going to learn a lot. We are going to be challenged. But we are committed to Cleveland’s children. The Coalition is here to serve and here to stay.
As we stand on the edge of implementation, the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition is prepared to take the next leap forward. We believe more strongly than ever that lead poisoning affects our entire community and we all need to take responsibility in addressing it.
Join the Coalition. Get your Lead Safe Certification. Contact the Lead Safe Resource Center. Invest in the Lead Safe Home Fund. Be a part of the fight against lead poisoning, and together we will build a lead-safe Cleveland
Augie Napoli is president and CEO of United Way of Greater Cleveland. This was written on behalf of the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition Steering Committee.
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