New report on children’s lead levels prompts calls for more rigorous day care inspections
By: Vic Gideon
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Elevated levels of lead are the highest in Ohio for Cuyahoga County, more than three-times the state average for children age five and younger.
More than 1,100 Cleveland children received treatment from the health department for lead.
That’s prompted calls for more thorough inspections of day cares, including in-home facilities.
“There is not the right level of sort of structure and support and funding to follow up with what may be identified by that initial visual inspection,” says Katie Kelly, executive director of PRE4CLE.
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development gave the City of Cleveland $9.7 million last October for the continuing problem, to address an aging house stock and red-lining, a bank practice which kept minorities in less desirable areas of the city.
The stakes are high, elevated lead levels causing a variety of issues.
“Anything ranging from a learning disability on one end of the spectrum all the way to comas, seizures, and ultimately death,” says Lynanne Gutierrez of Groundwork Ohio.
The report, “Building the Way to a Healthier Future,” focused on lead risks at day cares.