On February 5, the Ohio Lead Free Kids Coalition hosted a lunch in the Statehouse Atrium to unveil their nine-point plan for lead-free children by 2030. Ohio Academy of Family Physicians Executive Vice President Ann Spicer attended representing the Academy.
- Help homeowners and landlords eliminate lead hazards
- Make rental housing lead-safe
- Protect children from lead during renovation and demolition
- Disclose lead hazards and engage Ohioans
- Empower schools and early learning program to keep children lead safe
- Remove lead from drinking water
- Build a strong lead workforce
- Research new ways to protect children from lead
- Improve supports for children exposed to lead.
Nearly two out of three homes in Ohio were built before 1980 and are likely to have lead hazards. More than 300,000 of these Ohio homes are estimated to have children under 6 years of age living in them. Ohio also has the second-highest number of drinking water lines with lead piping in the nation. Although no part of the state is free from the risk of lead, the highest rates of reported child lead poisoning in Ohio tend to be found in communities that are predominantly African-American and low-income. In some Ohio communities, one in four children entering kindergarten have a history of lead poisoning.
Childhood lead exposure comes at a high personal and fiscal cost causing a legacy of adverse health, IQ, lifetime earnings, and increased criminal activity. Lead remediation is an economic driver, creating jobs and opportunities to build career pathways out of poverty into lead-remediation work.