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December 1, 2003,
Michigan's Children, 428 Lenawee, Lansing, Michigan 48933, Phone:
517-485-3500 or 800-330-8674, Web:
http://www.michiganschildren.org
To download this
4-page report in PDF format, click here
[size=118k].
How Many Children Are Affected By Lead Poisoning In Michigan?
Lead poisoning affects an estimated 20,000 children under the age of
six in Michigan. In 2002, approximately 93,000 of the state's infants
and children six years of age and younger were tested for lead
poisoning, and 5 percent were found to have dangerously high levels of
lead in their blood. Unfortunately, many Michigan children who are at
high risk of lead poisoning are not tested at all, even though federal
and state policies require testing.
How Does Lead Affect Children? Although many children suffering
lead poisoning show few symptoms initially, if undetected and
untreated, lead poisoning can result in brain damage, mental
retardation, learning disabilities, behavior problems, anemia, liver
and kidney damage, hearing loss, developmental delay, hyperactivity
and, in extreme cases, coma and death.
How Does Lead Poisoning Affect The State's Economy and Communities?
It is estimated that the total annual economic cost of childhood lead
poisoning in Michigan could be $1 billion (Michigan Lead Safe
Partnership).
These costs arise from:
• costs of direct health care and rehabilitation for affected
children;
• higher drop-out rates, lower wages and diminished earnings for
children affected;
• increased need for special education services; and
• increased anti-social and delinquent behavior by affected children
and adolescents.
Are Some Children More At-Risk? Yes, the following children are
most at-risk:
• Young children. Children under the age of 3 are most at-risk of lead
poisoning because their brains are developing so rapidly, and because
they are more likely to expose themselves by putting contaminated
items and hands in their mouths.
• Poor and low-income children. Poor children are more likely to be
exposed to lead because they often live in older, poorly maintained
housing. Poor children are also more likely to to have negative
effects from lead because of compromised health, poor nutrition, and
problems accessing preventive health care. It is estimated that
approximately half of all children under six are either
Medicaid-eligible and/or live in high-risk zip codes where there are a
significant number of older homes with lead-based paint (Michigan
Department of Community Health). Children insured by Medicaid are
three times as likely to be lead-poisoned as other children--roughly 9
percent of Medicaid children tested have had unacceptably high levels
of lead in their blood, compared to 3 percent for non-Medicaid
children (Kids Count in Michigan).
• Children residing in
major urban areas. There are higher rates of lead poisoning in
Michigan's major urban areas because there is a greater stock of homes
constructed prior to 1950 when over 90 percent of homes used
lead-based paint. In 2002, more than two of every three confirmed
cases of lead poisoning were from the City of Detroit. However, other
urban areas have very high rates of lead poisoning. In some older
urban neighborhoods, lead poisoning rates are as high as 20 percent
(Michigan Lead Safe Partnership).
Are Some Children More Likely To Be Tested For Lead Poisoning Than
Others? Yes, lead testing rates vary greatly by county. In only
three counties--Schoolcraft, Luce and Kent--are more than one-quarter
of children ages 0 to 3 tested. In many counties, fewer than 1 percent
of young children are tested.
Are There Any Laws Requiring Health Professionals To Test For Lead
Poisoning? Federal and state policies require that all children
enrolled in Medicaid receive a blood lead screening at one and two
years of age, or once between the ages of three and six if they had
not been previously tested. Despite this requirement, only 15 percent
of one- and two-year-old children enrolled in Medicaid in Michigan in
2002 were tested for lead.
Why Aren't More Children Being Tested? There are many reasons
that children--including children greatly at risk for lead
poisoning--are not being tested, including:
• Parents aren't always informed or aware of the threat of lead-based
paint, or the need to test for and treat
lead poisoning.
• Parents may have trouble accessing testing and subsequent health
care because they are uninsured, cannot find a primary care provider,
or have transportation or other personal barriers to seeking care.
• Health professionals may be unaware of the standard of care for lead
testing, or not complying.
• There is insufficient funding for comprehensive lead testing and
abatement.
• Renter and homeowners may not have information about the existence
of lead hazards in the homes they rent or purchase.
• Renters and homeowners may be limited in the housing they can secure
because of geography or income.
• Community-based health and social service providers who may be able
to recognize the need for testing, including Head Start teachers,
local health departments and Women, Infant and Nutrition (WIC)
nutrition providers, may not have resources or incentives to ensure
that children are tested when their primary providers have not
complied with requirements.
• There may be few housing or emergency relocation options for
families who must move while their homes are being cleared of lead
hazards.
What is Michigan Doing to Protect Children From Lead Poisoning?
Fortunately, the problem of lead poisoning has become a top priority
for Michigan's Surgeon General, Dr. Kimberlydawn Wisdom, and it now
beginning to be a focus of legislative activity.
Leadership by the Granholm Administration: In August of 2003,
Governor Granholm announced a major lead poisoning prevention and
treatment initiative to be headed by the state's Surgeon General, Dr.
Kimberlydawn Wisdom. Based on recommendations in the Governor's report
entitled Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention: A Call to Action
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/ChildLeadPoisoning2_71150_7.pdf,
Dr. Wisdom convened a task force to evaluate current policies and
programs, and to forward recommendations for improving prevention
Michigan's Children has been a very active member of the lead
prevention task force, and is committed to working closely with the
Dr. Wisdom and the Michigan Legislature in forwarding a lead
prevention agenda.
Among the recommendations from A Call to Action are:
• Lead testing information to be sent to each new parents.
• Education of health care providers who treat children in high risk
areas or in the Medicaid program to perform lead testing based on the
recommendations of the federal Center for Disease Control and
Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
• A new focus on funding for lead abatement.
• Improved lead risk assessment, particularly in the state's older,
urban areas.
• The targeting of state housing loan programs to homeowners and
landlords needing to clean up lead hazards.
• The creation of a lead-safe housing registry to inform families of
houses that have been inspected and found to be lead-safe.
• The establishment of state civil or criminal penalties and fines for
rental agencies or property owners who knowingly fail to clean up lead
hazards and then rent or sell the housing.
• Strengthened efforts to require that Medicaid providers increase the
percentage of Medicaid children tested, with a goal of testing 80
percent of Medicaid children within three years.
Legislative Leadership: A number of Michigan legislators have
make lead poisoning prevention a priority, and have begun to work in a
bi-partisan fashion to ensure that the state's children are protected.
A package of bills has been introduced in the Michigan House and the
Senate, are are beginning to be reviewed in committees.
Among the bills are:
Senate Bill 753 (Scott)/ House Bill 5118 (Kolb): This bill establishes
a broad-based childhood lead poisoning prevention and control
commission. The charge to the commission is to: (1) study the
environmental threat of lead poisoning to children's health; (2)
review the state's lead poisoning prevention efforts; (3) evaluate
state programs; and (4) recommend improvements. The commission, which
would include parents and advocates, would conduct at least two public
hearings.
Senate Bill 754 (Schauer)/ House Bill 5119 (Williams): This bill
requires, that beginning January 1, 2006, as a condition of receiving
Medicaid payments, all health professionals, facilities, or HMOs must
be in "substantial compliance" with federal standards for lead
screening for children enrolled in Medicaid. To be in substantial
compliance, Medicaid providers must be screening at least 80 percent
of the children enrolled for lead exposure.
The bill also allows the Michigan Department of Community Health to
withhold payment for the costs of the screening test from an HMO, and
use those funds to contract with other community-based agencies or
local health departments to provide lead screening tests for children
enrolled in Medicaid.
Senate Bill 755 (Hammerstrom)/ House Bill 5117 (Ehardt): This bill
requires that by October 1, 2005, clinical laboratories that analyze
blood samples for lead must report the results of the tests to the
Michigan Department of Community Health electronically within 30 days.
The goal is to ensure more uniform and complete data on lead testing
and elevated lead levels in children.
Senate Bill 756 (Hardiman)/ House Bill 5116 (Richardville): This bill
establishes a "lead safe housing registry" that can provide the public
with a listing of residential and multi-family dwellings, and other "childoccupied"
facilities (e.g. child care centers and homes) that have been
inspected and are certified as lead-free.
Relatively few states have established lead registries. One successful
program was launched in the state of Maryland in 1996. Maryland
requires rental properties build before 1950 to be registered with the
state's lead program, and to indicate if the lead has been tested and
cleared. Properties built between 1950 and 1978 can register
voluntarily. Since the registry was established, Maryland has
experienced an 80 percent reduction in elevated blood lead levels.
Senate Bill 757 (Clarke)/ House Bill 5115 (Hardman): This bill
requires that beginning in January of 2004, any rental agent, landlord
or owner who rents or leases a rental unit with "personal knowledge"
that there are lead hazards would be guilty of a misdemeanor
punishable by imprisonment of up to 90 days, and a fine of not more
than $5,000 or both. In addition, the landlord or rental agent would
be required to return all rental payments made during the period of
exposure to the lead-based paint hazards. (Please note: HB 5515 was
referred to the House Judiciary Committee)
How Can I Get Involved? Michigan legislators need to hear that
communities support efforts to prevent lead poisoning and its often
irreversible and tragic effects on young children. Contact your local
legislators, as well as the members of the Senate and House Committees
that will be working on the bills listed above.
Senate Committee on Families and Human Services:
• Senator Bill Hardiman, Chair (R-Kentwood)
SenBHardiman@senate.michigan.gov.
• Sen. Beverly Hammerstrom, Vice Chair (R-Temperance)
SenBHammerstrom@senate.michigan.gov
• Sen. Alan Sanborn (R-Richmond Township)
SenASanborn@senate.michigan.gov
• Sen. Gilda Jacobs, Minority Vice Chair (D-Huntington Woods)
SenGJacobs@senate.michigan.gov
• Sen. Irma Clark-Coleman (D-Detroit)
SenIClark-Coleman@senate.michigan.gov
House Committee on
Health Policy:
• Rep.Stephen Ehardt, Chair (R-Lexington)
sehardt@house.mi.gov
• Rep. Barbara Vander Veen, Vice Chair (R-Allendale)
repbarbvanderveen@house.mi.gov
• Rep. Ruth Johnson (R-Holly)
rujohnson@house.mi.gov
• Rep. Sal Rocca (R-Sterling Heights)
srocca@house.mi.gov
• Rep. Doug Hart (R-Rockford)
dist073@house.mi.gov
• Rep. Gary Woronchak (R-Dearborn)
gworonchak@house.mi.gov
• Rep. William Van Regenmorter (R-Georgetown Township)
wmvanreg@house.mi.gov
• Rep. David Robertson (R-Grand Blanc)
davidrobertson@house.mi.gov
• Rep. Edward Gaffney (R-Grosse Pointe Farms)
edwardgaffney@house.mi.gov
• Rep. Joe Hune (R-Fowlerville)
joehune@house.mi.gov
• Rep. Chris Ward (R-Brighton)
chrisward@house.mi.gov
• Rep. Stephen Adamini, Minority Vice Chair (D-Marquette)
sadamini@house.mi.gov
• Rep. Lisa Wojno (D-Warren)
lisawojno@house.mi.gov
• Rep. Artina Hardman (D-Detroit)
ahardman@house.mi.gov
• Rep. William O'Neil (D-Allen Park)
woneil@house.mi.gov
• Rep. Matthew Gillard (D-Alpena)
matthewgillard@house.mi.gov
• Rep. Brenda Clack (D-Flint)
brendaclack@house.mi.gov
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