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Associated Press &
Detroit Free Press, January 23, 2004
Legislation aimed at protecting children against lead poisoning passed
the state Senate on Thursday.
The package of four bills passed unanimously and now goes the House.
One of the bills would make it a misdemeanor to knowingly rent or
lease property that has lead-based paint hazards. Another would
require the creation of a commission to study the health hazards of
lead and make recommendations.
In August, Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced a plan to reduce lead
poisoning that called for legislation.
An estimated 1.1 million Michigan homes are old enough to still have
potentially dangerous levels of lead paint. The state estimates about
20,000 Michigan children are lead poisoned. Because Michigan's testing
rates are so low, few have been identified.
Lead poisoning can cause brain damage, and children are susceptible,
since their neurological systems are developing.
"These innocent children are not only victimized by an invisible
menace, but by unforgiving economic factors," state Sen. Martha Scott,
D-Highland Park, said in a statement, noting that many of the children
affected by lead poisoning are from low-income homes.
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