Drafter
Clerk 08/18/2016
Title
A MOTION calling for meaningful actions to address lead poisoning and support for efforts to eliminate lead poisoning in King County.
Body
WHEREAS, international and national health agencies and programs recognize that lead is an extremely toxic metal that can have severe health impacts on adults and children, and
WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assert there is no safe level of exposure to lead, and
WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also assert that exposure to lead has negative impacts on almost all systems of the human body and can cause permanent disability and other health problems in children such as learning disabilities, decreased IQs, behavioral problems, decreased physical growth and other health issues, and
WHEREAS, lead poisoning is a preventable public health problem, and
WHEREAS, the Washington state Department of Health surveillance data show that only a fraction of children exposed to lead in Washington state and King County receive blood-lead-level testing, and
WHEREAS, Public Health - Seattle & King County estimates that more than eight thousand children in King County may have elevated blood lead levels, based on 2014 data, and
WHEREAS, it is well-documented nationwide that older housing stock that contains lead-based paint is a continuing source of lead poisoning in children, and
WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, approximately twenty percent of all King County housing was built before 1950 and an additional forty-one percent was built between 1950 and 1979, when use of lead-based paint and other materials was common, and
WHEREAS, the Washington state Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance program has identified businesses in King County that use large amounts of lead or generate lead contamination that poisons adult workers, and found that adults exposed at work may take lead home with them, thereby exposing t...

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