181472 Comparative Analysis of Lead Poisoning Prevention and Management in the Mid-Atlantic Cities

Monday, October 27, 2008

Aurora Amoah, MPH , Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, MACCHE, Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit Region 3, George Washington University, Washington DC, DC
Bo Park, MPH , Recommendations Department, U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, Washington, DC
Lead paint is a significantly associated with lead toxicity in children. Although the use of lead paint in homes was phased out in 1978, there still remains a significant number of homes in cities in the Mid-Atlantic region constructed before 1978 which contain lead paint that poses a significant risk to young children. The aim of this paper is to compare and contrast lead poisoning prevention and management efforts among three major Mid-Atlantic cities that have notably high percentages of older housing stock: Baltimore, MD, Philadelphia, PA and Washington, DC. The challenge for several of these cities lies in the multi-agency effort and collaboration among health professionals, environmental experts and policy makers necessary to attain success. Prevention efforts have resulted in increased screening of children. The cities of Philadelphia and Baltimore have both shown more than 50% reduction in the number of children with elevated blood lead levels over a decade, while Washington DC is yet to attain comparable success. In identifying the successes and drawbacks of the lead prevention and poisoning management efforts, we propose best practices that can be shared among the cities to improve their efforts in order to attain better health outcomes among children in the Mid-Atlantic cities.

Learning Objectives:
1. Compare and Contrast lead poisoning prevention and management efforts in the Mid-Atlantic States 2. Identity successes, failures and deficiencies of the Lead poisoning prevention and management efforts 3. Recommend effective strategies to improve on lead poisoning prevention and programming

Keywords: Environmental Health, Child Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: N/A

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I researched and wrote the paper
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.