The wave of urban revitalization that has turned the DC housing market into a red hot crucible may sweep another generation of DC children under the rug. With the majority of available housing pre-dating 1978, the general assumption is that there is lead present in the painted surfaces of many DC homes. In fact, recent data from the DC Childhood Lead Poisoning Screening & Education Program demonstrates a correlation between incidents of childhood lead poisoning and pre-1978 housing in the District, yet it is typical that low-income renters have never heard of the EPA pamphlet entitled "Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home" and prospective DC homeowners only receive the pamphlet as a formality, days away from settlement. The problem with ignorance about lead poisoning, particularly lead dust, is that lead poisoning is irreversible, but preventable.

Lead dust must be swallowed or inhaled to enter the bloodstream, which becomes a highway for the lead to travel through the nervous system and the circulatory system before settling into soft tissue organs (brain, kidneys, liver, etc) and bones. Lead dust can result from peeling or chipping paint inside the home, friction surfaces in need of repair, bare soil that has been exposed to years of leaded gas fumes, or a home's flaking exterior lead-based paint. In a developing child, lead replaces the body's supply of calcium and iron-two nutrients essential to development-which can later manifest as impaired judgment, attention deficit disorder, reduced learning capacity, and aggression[1]. A pregnant woman who has been previously exposed to lead at toxic levels will have lead stored in her bones-and this toxin will be released into her bloodstream and transmitted to her unborn child if the calcium (or iron) in her blood becomes too low[2]. This poisoning of the unborn child can be prevented in a number of ways.

The first, and most obvious, way is to prevent the pregnant woman, or the woman who wants to have children in the future, from inhaling or swallowing lead, which goes back to DC's love affair with urban renewal. While many contractors are happy to renovate older DC housing to suit the tastes of the new DC urbanites, few are following lead safe work practices, because renovations and remodeling are not classified as "lead-based paint activities" in pre-1978 housing unless and until a child under 6 is poisoned by lead at the property, triggering a lead inspection if the child's blood lead level is at or above 15 g/dL[3]. Without following lead safe work practices, usual renovation activities such as window replacement, electrical wiring, plumbing, and painting have the potential for disturbing layers of previously untouched lead-based paint and creating lead dust. Without following lead safe work practices, this lead dust remains a health hazard for the owner(s) of an otherwise, beautiful piece of the American dream, a health hazard that usually goes undetected without a blood lead screening for either the mother or her infant or a lead inspection of the property. Therefore, it is imperative that contractors not only use lead safe work practices habitually for DC jobs, but that pregnant or prospective mothers stay protected from the work areas.

The second, and less obvious, way is to educate homeowners and renters, if not also contractors, about lead safe work practices. In the event that contractors engage in activities that create dust, the homeowners or renters who are present can alert the contractors and the property managers about the potential health hazards inherent to the activity.

The third, and least obvious, way is to educate real estate agents about the importance of lead inspections for DC housing built before 1978. Such real estate agents could be instruments of positive change by encouraging their clients to obtain lead inspections, so that their clients can make informed purchases and develop plans to live safely in homes where lead hazards were previously identified.

By arming DC's housing consumers with information about the sources and health effects of lead poisoning before toxic exposure, perhaps urban renewal won't become automatically associated with lead hazards. To get the previously mentioned data about childhood lead poisoning in the District of Columbia, call the DC Department of Health's Environmental Health Administration at 202-535-2500.

[1] http://www.rtnda.org/resources/childrenshealth.pdf; pp. 39-40

[2] http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/press/releases/press07012002.html

[3] http://app.doh.dc.gov/services/administration_offices/environmental/services2/lppd/pdf/gen_inform_lhc_2005.pdf; p. 4