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

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.