Lead poisons not washed away by Katrina

By Mary LaCoste
Contributing Writer

It was hoped that the flood waters and rain of Hurricane Katrina had removed much of the lead from local soils. According to a recent study published by Dr. Felicia Rabito of Tulane Univ­ersity, that did not happen. Worse, there is more lead entering the environment from the large number of houses being renovated since the storm. Sanding of structures with lead-based paint may be a major reason for the increase.

Hazardous levels of lead exist in the soils in all older neighborhoods in the United States. Lead can cause serious health and developmental problems for babies and young children ingesting lead particles in dust. This fact led to the nationwide ban of lead in paint and automobile gasoline decades ago. The problem remains because the lead that had accumulated in soils before that time is still there.

In 1999, The Louisiana Weekly published a report on lead levels in local soils. The study was conducted by Dr. Howard Mielke of Xavier University. His investigators tested samples of soil from every census section of the city. It showed that most of New Orleans’ older neighborhoods had dangerously high levels of lead. It was thought to be a problem for families living in substandard housing. While baby clinics in those areas began checking for lead in their patients by blood tests, steps were taken to treat children suffering from high levels of lead. Parents were instructed on how to prevent future problems.

Dr. Rabito’s study was published recently and showed that the problem is not limited to poor neighborhoods. Now it should be a cause for concern to middle-class families and those living in affluent sections like the Garden District, Lakeview and parts of New Orleans East. Rabito recommends that parents should consider having blood tests given to their children if their house is undergoing renovation or they live in a neighborhood with high lead levels.

The map published in 1999 and the current map, published by the Tulane School of Public Health, are surprisingly similar. The newer one seems to indicate that there is now more lead and it exists in more neighborhoods. Dr. Rabito cautions about making direct comparisons as the Tulane study tested randomly selected households, both indoors and out, for levels of lead. In the Xavier study, outdoor levels in each district were examined.

Comparisons aside, both Mielke and Rabito would say the problem is serious and may be getting worse. As The Louisiana Weekly pointed out in a series of articles dating back to 1999, lead poisoning is a serious matter. It may sicken adults and can cause death or permanent brain damage to the developing brains of babies and young children.

Today, as in a decade ago, it is recommended that precautions be taken. For example, babies should be allowed to crawl only on floors clean of lead dust and pacifiers must be washed after falling to the ground. All children’s hands need to be washed after playing outdoors. Then as now, day care centers should be tested for lead contaminates and proper hygiene practiced.

For a while, the threat of lead poisoning was a “hot” topic but public attention has switched to other areas of concern. The new map may serve as a warning to parents and pediatricians that this serious health threat still exists. The news of a child being injured by gunfire causes public panic, but the facts show that many more children are permanently injured by lead in dust than by lead in bullets.

This article was originally published in the November 28, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper