HARRISBURG, Pa. — Lawmakers filled the Pennsylvania State Capitol Rotunda with advocates, children and organizations looking to eliminate lead poisoning.
Senate Bill 514, a proposed bill introduced by Representative Lisa Baker, looks to amend the Childhood Blood Lead Test Act by requiring all children to be tested for lead by age two.
“Each year, the potential of thousands of young Pennsylvanians is compromised by lead paint poisoning…this tragedy is preventable,” said Bruce Clash, PA State Director for Fight Crime: Invest in Kids.
The bill would allow parents to choose whether their child should be screened, but data shows that the number of children who fall ill due to lead poisoning is growing. According to organizers of the Lead-Free Promise Project, 7,000 children are poisoned every year with only 20% of children under the age of five tested.
“I have always been an advocate for expanding and making sure that we ensure lead testing as early as possible,” said Representative Donna Bullock, Democrat from the 195th District, Philadelphia County.
Representative Bullock called herself a “legislate-mom” because her goal is to protect children from the harms of lead poisoning. Rep. Bullock said this bill hits close to home for her because, at the age of two, her son had five micrograms of lead in his blood. Rep. Bullock said the uncertainty of long-term effects worries her, but she is using her platform to educate and provide more screenings.
“I could also use my role as a legislator to get involved in legislation to instant and increase lead testing for children because it made such a difference in my family to have him tested early,” said Rep. Bullock.
Lawmakers are also calling to invest $1.5 million in the 2024-2025 state budget that would initially fund education and communication in the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Organizers say that Act 150 (Childhood Blood Lead Test) recognized the importance of lead education but did not provide any funding to do a statewide campaign.
“We want to make sure homes are free of lead and so we wanted to get a dedicated stream of funding for residential lead remediation,” said Dr. Harriet Okatch, Assistant Professor of Public Health at Thomas Jefferson University.
According to the World Health Organization, lower levels of lead poisoning exposure in children can cause them to lead can affect children’s brain development, resulting in reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), behavioral changes such as reduced attention span increased antisocial behavior, and reduced educational attainment.
Dr. Christopher Russo, Director of Pediatrics with WellSpan Health was in attendance and spoke at Monday’s event. Dr. Russo said high levels of exposure without being detected could have long-lasting effects.
“Lead can get deposited in the tissues of a child, particularly the brain, and knowing that the brain is developing rapidly under the age of six, particularly under the age of three any damage can be catastrophic as it is permanent damage,” said Dr. Russo.
Lawmakers hope to have an answer on the bill's passage and approved funding by this summer. To learn more about lead poisoning in children and how to prevent/treat it, click here.
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