On 3/26/03 6:30 AM, "Michael Atherton" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I believe that almost all houses and buildings built > before 1970 have some lead painted surfaces. If you live > in such a home, it is exceedingly likely that it has > lead paint. In most cases the cost of removing the > all painted surfaces is cost prohibitive (i.e., it is more > practical to demolish the structure). And, as I understand it, > lead paint like asbestos, is only dangerous in certain > situations and as long as it is stabilized there's no problem. > Removing lead paint from all the homes in Minneapolis is > an absurd idea.
I would encourage people who would like to know more about the dangers of lead paint in homes to check out this fact sheet from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5054.html Those who think the only concern is about paint chips are in for an eye-opener this morning. As far as costs, which is more cost-prohibitive - removing lead hazards from homes or paying for the special education programs, increased health care needs and in many cases, incarceration of adults who were exposed to lead as children? Remember yesterday's post from WizardMarks mentioning a study at one prison that showed 50% of inmates showed evidence of childhood lead poisoning. The worst part is we don't even really know how bad the problem is. The Minnesota Department of Health screening guidelines recommend that all children under age six receive blood lead testing. It is estimated that only about a third of those children in Minneapolis have actually been tested. More information about lead hazards is available on the Minnesota Department of Health web site at: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/lead/ Mark Snyder Windom Park TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
