Lead in the News

Cleveland can learn from the work of activists and policy makers  around the Country

December 2024

Around CLASH

Around Cleveland--Push back from Lead Safe Advisory Board

Elsewhere Around Cleveland

Around Ohio

December 10, 2024 91.7 WVXU Everything you need to know about lead water pipes in Cincinnati. The story title says it all.


Around Us

Around Us--Nothing gets the attention of scofflaws than enforcement.


CLASH news


Around Cleveland

Around Us.

November 28, 2024. Erie Times-News. Could Erie see testing for lead-based paint become part of rental registration program? "Other municipalities nationwide have mandated testing for lead-based paint as part of their rental registration/inspection programs for properties. The city of Erie’s rental registration program currently does not require units to be tested for the presence of lead-based paint. Aaron Snippert, the executive director of the Erie Redevelopment Authority, would like that to change. Snippert wants Erie City Council to consider amending the rental registration program’s rules to include “some kind of lead testing component” as part of Erie’s efforts to combat the presence of lead paint in homes citywide."


Around Us: Citizen Action

Around Us-The letters keep coming as Water Departments comply with new Lead and Copper Rule requirements.

Around Us--Immigrant Households especially impacted

11/25/2024 Minneapolis Post. We can curb the lead exposure that continues to harm immigrant communities. "Minneapolis could help by adopting stricter policies, such as mandatory lead inspections for rental units. As an advocate working with these communities, I witness firsthand the harmful effects of lead poisoning on families, especially children. Lead exposure, which causes developmental delays, learning difficulties and severe health problems, remains a serious issue in older Minneapolis homes. Immigrant families often face barriers in the housing market — such as lack of credit history, little rental history, low-paying jobs and language barriers — that limit their access to safer, affordable housing. Landlords are slow to respond, and the city struggles to enforce remediation."

November 2024

CLASH News


Around Ohio

Around Us

Around Us -- Citizens demand action.

Around Us--Syracuse responds to citizen disorder

Around Us-Poverty in the Lead Belt

Top 10 Places With the Lowest Median Income. A new study shows low income cities abound in the Lead Belt. Just a coincidence? 


Around  CLASH

Cleveland Heights Lead Safe Fair was a goldilocks event. Busy enough that we never got bored, but not so busy that we had plenty of time to answer questions and discuss lead safety options. Thanks to Zach Ravanelli for providing space for CLASH at the event and thanks to Molly and Chantal for tabling. We were busy enough that everyone forgot to take pictures.


Around Cleveland


Around Ohio

Around Us


Around Us -- Using State Medicaid dollars for lead remediation.


Around Us -- Your water is fine, but we are changing your pipes anyhow

If deteriorated lead paint is the biggest problem, why all the concern with water? Journalist Dan McGraw asked CLASH to explain. 

1. You may not live in a poorly maintained  pre-1978 rental property, but everyone drinks the same water. Many households are "at risk" because of lead service lines.

2. Right now, water departments all over the US are reaching out to their customers to let them know if they may be "at risk". 

3. For CLASH, lead pipes removal provides a teaching moment for folks who believe that lead poisoning is just about low income inner city homes. Lead is everywhere you look and there is no safe level of exposure.


Around Us-Syracuse under pressure from citizens

Around Cleveland (sort of...)

November 6, 2024. Loyola Phoenix (the official student newspaper of Loyola University Chicago.) Lead in Infrastructure is a Dangerous Pipeline. "Lead pipes are more political and perilous than meets the eye. Lead poisoning is one of the biggest environmental and humanitarian injustices facing America, and not enough people are talking about it. [.....] Around 9.2 million lead pipes make up the national service line infrastructure, according to a report from the Environmental Protection Agency. There’s a heavy concentration of lead pipes in the Rust Belt, with Ohio and Illinois listed as two out of the 50 states with the highest levels of lead service lines. My hometown of Cleveland has lead-poisoning levels nearly four times the national average, according to News 5 Cleveland. To put this into perspective, Flint, MI in 2016 reported elevated lead levels in children of 7% to 10%, while Cleveland is seeing around 12% to 13% of children with elevated lead levels, with some neighborhoods reaching rates near 25%, according to Case Western Reserve."


Around Us

Around Us--The letters are going out

Around US-NYCHA tenants sue over Right to Know

Nov 5, 2024 Gothamist. NYCHA tenants sue city, saying agency does not disclose rats, lead, other hazards "Three New York City public housing residents are suing a top city official, saying his agency failed to publish violations for hazards like rat infestations, mold blooms and lead paint in an online database, as required by law. The residents, all of whom live in New York City Housing Authority apartments, accuse Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Adolfo Carrión of ignoring a 2022 state law meant to make conditions in the city’s 177,000 public housing apartments publicly available in an online database. That database, known as HPD Online, already publishes information about privately owned buildings in the city — including violations and bedbug reports."


Around Us-Minneapolis

November 3, 2024. Minnesota Daily. City seeking end to childhood lead poisoning. "Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is planning an over $1 million investment in his 2025 budget to make Minneapolis the first city in the country to eliminate childhood lead poisoning. Minneapolis reported 112 children with high levels of lead in their blood in 2022, according to the Minneapolis Health Department. Across the entire state, nearly 700 Minnesota children have elevated blood lead levels each year. The City of Minneapolis has invested and secured about $60 million to ensure homes are safe and free from lead since 1998. Council Member Jason Chavez (Ward 9) said the City Council approved around $1.9 million for the Minneapolis’ Lead and Healthy Homes program.Minneapolis Health Department’s Lead and Healthy Homes Manager Alex Vollmer said lead is found primarily in deteriorated paint in homes and consumer products like makeup, ceramic cookware, international candies, medicines and soil."

'The Lead and Healthy Homes team offers free lead testing for children in Minneapolis communities in the Leadie Eddie van (seen above).


November 04, 2024. Press RELEASE Department of Codes & Regulations launches new software for Rental Registry "LOUISVILLE, Ky. (November 4, 2024) – The Department of Codes & Regulations has introduced a new software, Slate, to improve user experience and simplify the management process for property owners to register their long-term rentals. The Rental Registry program, created by Metro Council in 2022, aims to enhance transparency across rental properties in the city and improve the well-being of tenants. The Slate program, created by Tolemi, has achieved considerable success in various other cities such as Monterey, CA, and Lakewood, WA. The platform is well-regarded for its intuitive interface and its effectiveness in ensuring adherence to rental regulations. This new software will enable property owners to register their properties swiftly and effortlessly.


Around Cleveland

Nov. 03, 2024. cleveland.com. Cleveland’s lead crisis demands action. No more half-measures, no more excuses: editorial "Five years ago, Cleveland set out to make history with a law aimed at safeguarding children from the dangers of lead paint. Yet, five years later, we’re staring at failure. Instead of celebrating a milestone in public health, we’re stuck in a crisis where lead poisoning remains an ever-present threat, especially to Cleveland’s youngest and most vulnerable residents. The numbers are shocking. Childhood lead poisoning rates in Cleveland are two to three times higher than those seen in Flint, Michigan, during the height of its infamous lead crisis, Cleveland Public Health Director Dr. David Margolius recently told City Council. From 2021 to 2023, over 4,200 children under the age of five were poisoned. And what progress has been made? None. We have nearly $100 million allocated for lead abatement, yet only $6.2 million has been spent. Meanwhile, lead poisoning rates have not decreased; in fact, they’ve climbed. Five years gone. Thousands of kids harmed. And a $93 million pool sitting largely unspent. It’s unconscionable."


News from Around Us

Around Us -- Chronic low level exposure, long term disability

Around Us-Reaction to Lead Dust Standards

October 2024

Busy week for CLASHers

RRP Training on Thursday, Faith and Leaders Luncheon on Friday and Lead Safe Resource Fair on Saturday.  Keep in mind that CLASH is an all volunteer, mostly self-funded, coalition of grassroots organizations working to make Cleveland lead safe. Your donation will help us continue to reach out to at risk Clevelanders and public officials. Our low overhead means CLASH has high independence. Your support assures our ability to speak truth to power.


Around Cleveland

Cleveland's Lead Screening and Testing Commission met last Thursday with strong presentations of the special needs of immigrant communities facing lead risks. Link to the recording is here:   https://clevelandhealth.org/programs/environment/lead_test_screening_commission/ 

Link to the CDPH Data Brief is here: https://clevelandhealth.org/assets/documents/health/health_statistics/Lead_Poisoning_Data_Brief_2023.pdf


PD and Bibb. Oct. 24, 2024. Cleveland.com. How our journalism stands apart on lead paint, Browns stadium and Issue 1: Letter from the Editor. "Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb sent out a press release recently to describe his plan for reversing the abject, inexplicable failure of the city to address lead poisoning of children. The release gave reporters a choice. Lead the story with Bibb’s plan for addressing the failure. Or, lead with the previously unknown fact that the program is such a failure. I’m sure Bibb would have preferred the former, which is the path some Cleveland newsrooms took. But the real news here was not how Bibb planned to fix the problem. It was the problem itself: Five years after launching a program to finally, after decades of failure, reduce the number of children poisoned by lead, the city had made zero progress. Bibb’s press release was spin. Rather than announce the failure, he cast his solutions as the news. If I were him, I’d have done the same thing. And I’m glad he is getting more aggressive in dealing with his scourge. Also, he did acknowledge the program’s failure, which many politicians would not have done. Our job, though, is to see through spin and inform our readers of the news. Reporter Courtney Astolfi did include Bibb’s planned fixes in her report, but the staggering impact of the failure was the bigger news." 


Around Ohio

Around Us

Around Us--Lead in Schools

October 25, 2024 Hawaiʻi Public Radio. Nearly 1,500 water fixtures replaced in Hawaiʻi schools to reduce lead exposure. "Hawaiʻi was one of seven recipients of an Environmental Protection Agency grant to retrofit water fixtures in elementary schools and preschool centers. Millions of dollars have gone into replacing problematic fixtures across the state. HPR talked to Dr. Diana Felton, the toxicologist for the state Department of Health, about a project to ensure drinking water in Hawaiʻi public schools is lead-free. The initial surveying of school sites was funded by the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act."


Around Us - New Lead Paint Standards

Around Us -- Funding Lead Pipe Replacement

Around Us -- Universal Child Testing

October 23, 2024  City of Milwaukee. MHD Issues New Testing Recommendations to Protect Children "MHD [Milwaukee Health Department] has updated its testing guidelines to better safeguard children in the city. Previously, MHD did not recommend universal testing annually after 24 months unless a child tested positive for elevated blood lead levels. However, due to Milwaukee’s large population, the high prevalence of lead paint and other lead hazards, and the deterioration of older homes, MHD is now adopting a more aggressive testing schedule than both its previous recommendations and the state’s current guidelines. MHD’s new recommendations call for universal blood lead testing for all children in Milwaukee at 12, 18, and 24 months, and then annually through the age of 5, regardless of their previous testing schedule or results. This approach provides earlier detection and more frequent monitoring in areas at high risk for lead exposure." Backgrounder:  Oct 27, 2024. DHS Encourages Wisconsinites to Take Action to Prevent Childhood Lead Poisoning."Earlier this year, DHS issued updated lead testing recommendations, calling for all children to be tested for exposure to lead at ages 1 and 2. Children between 3 and 5 years old who have not been previously tested should also undergo screening for lead poisoning. Wisconsin communities with high rates of lead exposure due to the age of housing or other lead hazards may have additional testing recommendations." 


Around Us -- Consumer products

October 25, 2024. NPR. Lead in cinnamon: Where do things stand, 1 year after a scary recall? "In the 2024 fiscal year, 'FDA physically examined 50,135 lines and sampled 11,780 lines of human foods coming into the U.S.,' the spokesperson says. 'While FDA physically examines less than 2% of shipments, we electronically screen 100% of all shipments and sample from the highest risk shipments.' The FDA says it has only limited tools for reducing exposure to toxic elements such as lead in the food supply. It's been asking Congress to give it new authority to establish binding contamination limits in foods, especially those consumed by infants and young children. But those efforts have not succeeded."


Around Us -- Lead in Public Housing

Around Cleveland since the Mayor's Executive Order

Around Ohio

Oct. 15, 2024. cleveland.com. Akron and Summit County get HUD grants for lead abatement. "Akron and Summit County are getting more than $10 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to remove lead poisoning hazards from homes and HUD-assisted properties. The local awards were among more than $420 million HUD announced last week across 32 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. More than $77 million of that money is going to communities in the Great Lakes region. HUD announced Akron is getting a $7,750,000 lead hazard reduction grant, and Summit County is getting $6,098,902. The State of Ohio is getting $5,750,000."


New lead research: hope or hype?

Will the hype live up to the hope? Here's an example of a flawed technology that had to be fixed. 

October 9, 2024. Reuters. Lead testing device company Magellan sentenced for concealing defects. "A federal judge on Wednesday signed-off on a plea agreement resolving charges against Magellan Diagnostics that it concealed a malfunction in its lead-testing devices that led to thousands of patients receiving inaccurately low results. U.S. District Judge Patti Saris in Boston accepted the plea agreement and imposed a sentence requiring Magellan to pay $32.7 million, a portion of the overall $42 million it agreed to pay as part a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice whose "unusual" terms Saris had previously questioned."  FWIW: Ohio Department of Health has been monitoring Magellan Diagnostic products and advising health professionals.


CLASH suspects that everyone in Cleveland is focused on lead paint, but the news nationally is EPA's New Lead and Copper rule.

Has anyone in Ohio reported on the new Lead and Copper Rule rule? Did anyone seek a local perspective from their water departments? How will schools adopt sampling which is now covered by Federal standards? Why did Cleveland Water Department refuse to come to CLASH's Lead Safe Resource Fair this Saturday? Clevelanders have lots of questions about lead and water.


Lead and Copper Rule News

Gap #1: Property owner lead lines. The new lead and copper rule doesn't require property owners to replace lead service lines coming into the home, school, or child care center.

One of the questions at the CLASH Board meeting: will the new Lead and Copper Rule cover the cost of replacing property owners pipes?  Quick answer is NO. During the public comment phase of the rulemaking process, EPA decided it did not have the authority to order property owners to replace lead lines on private property. BUT...BUT...BUT individual Water departments may offer to pay for owner pipes. Here's an example:

Gap #2: What about schools and child care? The new law lowers the threshold for lead in water, but Ohio doesn't require regular testing of schools and child care centers.

Gap #3: Is there enough funding to meet the 10 year goal?

Gap #4: The new law requires a plan. How can citizens find out about the plan? Who enforces the plans?

Story of the week

October 02, 2024. Press Release. Philanthropy’s Role in Ending a Crisis Hidden in Plain Sight, "Today, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) is taking action against one of the world’s most urgent and overlooked public health emergencies—lead poisoning. Through the Eliminating Lead Poisoning Innovation Fund, we are investing $10 million to drive bold innovations that will transform how we detect and fight lead exposure, especially in neglected low- and middle-income communities. As RPA President and CEO Latanya Mapp emphasized, “Lead poisoning is a byproduct of environmental and economic injustice, and it affects far too many.” In collaboration with Partnership for a Lead-Free Future (PLF), an initiative by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), RPA will tap its global philanthropic network to establish an advisory board of lead-poisoning experts and frontline communities. Here is the stark reality: over half the children in these communities have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood. Lead poisoning does not just harm; it devastates. It limits cognitive development, lowers IQ scores, and widens the already massive gaps in education and opportunity. This is a crisis of environmental injustice, killing 1.5 million people annually—more than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined—And yet, lead poisoning remains hidden in plain sight. Unlike many complex global issues, lead poisoning is surprisingly solvable with relatively low costs. In fact, Bangladesh eradicated lead in spices at a cost of roughly one penny per person. Atul Gawande, Assistant Administrator for Global Health at USAID, said it best, “We can end childhood lead poisoning. Innovation—for example, to make it easier to detect lead in the environment and in people’s bodies—can speed success dramatically.” Philanthropy is the engine that can make this innovation happen." (Emphasis added)


Around Cleveland

Cleveland City Council Health Committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the Lead Safe Certificate Program at 9AM Monday, October 14th. Last year's hearing was the "emperor's new clothes" moment for the program. The Plain Dealer called out: Cleveland’s faltering lead-safe effort needs a recharge - and radical rethinking: editorial. 

Around Ohio

Oct 2, 2024. WILO. Program at WOCAP seeks to prevent lead poisoning from affecting families "The West Ohio Community Action Partnership (WOCAP) is once again working to help families prevent lead poisoning from happening to them. Program at WOCAP seeks to prevent lead poisoning from affecting families. As part of their Lead Safe Program, they can provide services to homeowners or renters to get rid of lead in their homes. It's financed through a federal grant from the Ohio Department of Health. Lead comes from a variety of sources, but a big one is paint found in homes built before 1978. If you feel you may have lead-based paint in your home, contact WOCAP to start the process. 'During the process, we will actually educate the individuals about how to be safe in the home while they're waiting on the lead abatement. And once the lead abatement is scheduled, we will actually relocate the family, and we will cover the cost of food as well,' said Vance Cuthrell, housing program manager at West Ohio Community Action Partnership." Thanks ZakB for sharing


Around Us

Lead in Schools

A trove of academic studies


September 2024

Around CLASH

Around Cleveland

CLASH is hoping to encourage city departments to send representatives to a Lead Safe Resource Fair on October 26. 


Around Ohio




Around Us


Around Us: Conferences Galore


Lead in Consumer Products

Remembering Flint

Sept. 17, 2021. Washington Post Flint has replaced over 10,000 lead pipes. Earning back trust is proving harder. "While other communities await the funding and the political will to overhaul crumbling water infrastructure, this monumental undertaking has demonstrated that it is possible for cities to rid themselves of the lingering health risk running into their homes — that, years from now, there could be a day when parents in America no longer need to worry that the water in their taps might poison their children. But the moment has also highlighted another truth: The end of lead pipe replacements does not mean the end of the catastrophe for many in Flint."


When you are ready to move from Awareness to Action, CLASH is ready to put you to work as a donor or volunteer. Nobody has to do everything, everyone should do something....



Around CLASH

Around Ohio


Around Us

September 12, 2024, The Rochester Beacon. The ongoing fight against lead "Thanks to the advocacy and educational efforts CPLP started in the early 2000s, instances of lead poisoning have decreased across the area, as evidenced by childhood lead blood level tests. In 2014, a study found that rates of lead poisoning decreased 2.4 times faster in Monroe County compared to all other counties from 1997 to 2011. Even with those superior results, potential danger remains in Monroe County primarily due to lead-based paint used on the area’s old housing stock." Nice overview of the Lead Safety movement in Rochester NY.


Around Us -- Consumer Products

Around Cleveland

Lead Safe Advisory Board. 1:00 pm. Thursday, Sep 14, 2023. Virtual Meeting: https://cityclevelandoh.webex.com/cityclevelandoh/j.php?MTID=m5ac983291127d9ac32679b35fc14f74a  Meeting number: 2301 370 4296 Password: 8YBj2PwhXK2  Are these meetings all virtual to reduce citizen comments or questions? 


Around Ohio


Just Askin...


Around Us

Lead in School Water. 


August 2024

Around Cleveland

August 20, 2024. Beyond the buck: The high cost of affordable housing in Cleveland. "According to the Fair Housing Center for Rights and Research’s 2024 State of Fair Housing Report, renters in Northeast Ohio are more likely to live in areas designated as High and Very High Environmental Hazard Exposure Areas (EHEAs). This suggests that renters are disproportionately exposed to greater environmental hazards and toxins. Additionally, many Cleveland homes are older, with 75 percent of the housing stock built before the federal ban on lead-based paint in 1978, increasing the likelihood that lead paint can still be present in homes. 'What’s that connection between affordable housing? It’s not affordable for someone to be exposed to lead,' emphasized Austin Cummings, senior research associate at the Fair Housing Center for Rights and Research, an agency that promotes equal housing opportunities in Northeast Ohio. Living near or among environmental hazards and toxins can lead to a range of severe health issues like asthma, heart disease and cancer. Relocating to a safer environment may seem like the solution but is not a simple option explained Cummings, 'That’s not always the case for a lot of renters, especially if you are lower income, you don’t always have the ability to just choose freely.' " CLASH emphasis added.


Around Us


Around Us: School water fixtures

Check here for lots more information on Schools as Partners.



Around Cleveland

🙋Aug. 13, 2024. PD and Cleveland.com Link a deal on Browns stadium with commitment to children’s well being. "Shortly after reading Mayor Bibb’s Browns stadium proposal in The Plain Dealer, (”Mayor Justin Bibb goes public with $461M taxpayer-funded offer to renovate Browns stadium, asks Haslams to respond by Aug. 12,“ Aug. 1) I came upon Cleveland Councilwoman, Rebecca Mauer’s “From the Community” column (”Hope amid distrust -- Fighting for a lead-safe Cleveland: Rebecca Maurer,“ Aug. 2 ) regarding fighting for a lead-safe Cleveland. It struck me that maybe that these issues could be linked. It seems that once an agreement is reached on stadium/arena financing projects, there is always a dogged determination to expeditiously complete the job. That same kind of will and fortitude seem to be lacking in efforts to remove dangerous lead levels in Cleveland’s poorest neighborhoods. How about including a provision in any agreement that no game will be played in a new or renovated stadium until specific quantifiable substantive goals in removing lead contamination are met? This initiative might very well benefit from also being a public/private partnership. To provide such a linkage might attest to our community’s commitment to children’s well being as what truly makes us #1. Michael Tierney."



Around Cuyahoga County

Aug 14, 2024. Scene Cleveland. Bedrock Riverfront Project, Sherwin Williams R&D Center Get Millions for Brownfield Cleanup. "Seven development projects around Northeast Ohio, including Bedrock's $3.5 billion riverfront complex on the Cuyahoga, were awarded millions in state funds for brownfield remediation this week. Besides $10 million going to cleaning up the former parking lots south of Tower City Center." [ ..... ] "The dollars will be used to excavate sites of harmful pollutants, or, say, remove idling gas tanks, that would otherwise prevent construction from happening." A couple of items struck us as worth a little more excavation.

Around Ohio

August 11, 2024. Cincinnati Enquirer. How safe are tampons? A scientist explains lead exposure following study finding metals. Another great lead safety story from cincinnati.com writer Elizabeth Kim. She weaves together a University of California story with a classic study from the University of Cincinnati and her recent reporting on lead in the faucets of a City Health Department facility. Kudos (again) Ms. Kim!


Around Us

Nice overview of a community wide lead safety strategy.

South Bend Tribune. 5 takeaways from Tribune Talks discussion about lead poisoning in St. Joseph County. "The South Bend Tribune hosted Tribune Talk: Lead in the Soil on Aug. 14 featuring panelists in the lead field who make daily efforts to understand and help residents with lead issues in St. Joseph County. Panelists included Marya Lieberman, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame and an analytical chemist for the ND Lead Innovation Team, Briannah McCall, Assistant Director of the St. Environmental Health Unit from the St. Joseph County Department of Health, and Kathy Schuth, the executive director of the the Near Northwest Neighborhood and co-founder of the South Bend Lead Affinity Group. The trio discussed their personal experiences of helping residents affected by lead in the county."


Around Cleveland

Around Ohio

Around Us

Political leadership in Trenton NJ. Are you listening, Mayor Bibb? 

August 9, 2024. Trentonian. Guest Op-ed: Mayor Reed Gusciora talks about the urgent need to ‘Get the Lead Out’ of Trenton. "Our city’s older infrastructure and housing stock, combined with historical industrial activity, have left a lasting impact on our environment. Recent testing by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confirmed what we feared—elevated lead levels in the soil across various areas of Trenton. This is not just an environmental concern but a pressing public health issue that demands immediate action." Wait...there's more....

"That is why we are taking a multi-faceted approach to address this crisis. In collaboration with the EPA, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), and various non-profit organizations, we are undertaking a comprehensive effort to tackle lead contamination in our city. This includes testing children for lead exposure, inspecting and remediating housing, and cleaning up contaminated soil. To support these efforts and provide critical information to our community, we are hosting a Health Fair this Saturday, August 10, at Cadwalader Park. This event will not only offer a fun day out for families but also serve as an important opportunity to address the lead issue head-on. At the Health Fair, we will have mobile health units on-site to conduct lead testing for children. If lead is detected, we will offer counseling on the next steps and how to mitigate exposure. We will also provide information on identifying lead content in household items like toys, cookware, and dinnerware." CLASH emphasis added.


July 2024

Around CMHA

Around Cleveland

For more information visit: https://www.clashcle.org/resources


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Around Ohio

Jul 24, 2024. WKBN. Gov. DeWine signs bill combatting lead poisoning. "A new law was passed in Ohio to combat lead poisoning. Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 226 into law Wednesday to help with the cost of getting rid of lead service lines. It allows public water utilities regulated by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to replace customer-owned lines. The law also creates a system for customers to be reimbursed if they have their lead lines replaced. Representative Monica Robb-Blasdel of Columbiana County supported the bill. She says no one should be subject to the harmful effects of lead because of financial burdens. According to an EPA report, Ohio has 745,061 lead service lines, which is eight percent of the nation’s total of 9.2 million."


Around Us (lead safety news you can use back at home)

Lead is everywhere we look: the need for Universal Child Testing

Nice Profiles: Maria Jose Talayero Schettino, Emily Benfer,and Marya Lieberman


Around Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority

1. OIG initiated the investigation because an earlier investigation found that HUD's enforcement of the Lead Safe Housing Rule was lax.

2. The Cleveland HUD office of Public Housing is in charge of enforcing the OIG recommendations. 

3. HUD Office of Inspector General says: "Anyone with information about environmental hazards and unsafe unit conditions in HUD housing or fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct, or mismanagement related to HUD programs should contact the HUD OIG Hotline at 1-800-347-3735 or reporting online at https://www.hudoig.gov/hotline."


Other CLASH NEWS

Around Cleveland


Around Us (because sometimes we can learn from advocates around the country)


Around Cleveland


Around Ohio

Around  Us: Lead Pipe Replacement

Around Us -- Buffalo Citizens are Revolting

Around Us--Environmental Justice, pay now...or later

Around Us-Testing properties

Jul 9, 2024 Union Leader Lead-safe proof required for newly licensed child care centers and newly-renovated rental housing built before 1978. "Starting this month, newly licensed or newly leased child care centers and rental housing must provide evidence of lead paint safety under a new law aimed at preventing childhood lead exposure. The law, part of a state Senate bill enacted in 2018, requires newly-licensed child care centers and landlords of newly renovated rental housing, in structures built before 1978, to get a lead-safe certificate issued by a licensed New Hampshire risk assessor. The rule, effective July 1, does not require preexisting rental properties, owner-occupied housing, or previously licensed child care facilities to obtain the certificate." 🤷 Hey Ohio Department of Health: Certifying child care centers to be lead safe is a good idea. You should try it.


About Us--Immigrant households

Around Cleveland

Jul 5, 2024. Cleveland Scene. Cleveland to Close McCafferty Health Center in Ohio City, Redevelop Site for Affordable Housing. "The city is looking for another location for the clinic in the neighborhood." CLASH says: Under Margolius' leadership, the Cleveland Department of Public Health continues to drift away from providing direct services to low income, uninsured families. 

Around Ohio

1. Under the Lead Safe Housing Rule, the Housing Authority is responsible to contact families living adjacent to units where a child was found to have an elevated blood level and inspect their units for lead hazards.

2. Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority which "fired their contractor CGI Federal" is a collaborator with CGI Federal in a non-profit HUD contractor called Assisted Housing Services Corporation (AHSC) which is responsible for monitoring a different HUD program: Project Based Rental Assistance for Ohio and DC. 

3. Has anyone confirmed that the Columbus Health Department is following up on these cases? A simple yes or no would be satisfactory so as to not disclose medical information.

4. Will HUD audit the Assisted Housing Services Corporation to see if AHSC is in compliance with the HUD Lead Safe Housing Rule?


Around Us

Are you ready to speak out, Ohio MDs?

June 2024

CLASH News

Special thanks to our local site sponsors FoodStrong/Coit Road Farmers Market, Kentucky Garden, God's Vision Foundation and Concerned Citizens Community Council. More info at https://www.clashcle.org/home/learn-more-about-clash/soilshop-events-in-cleveland You can help share this information to your friends, neighbors, members and clients. 


Around Cleveland


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Around Ohio

Massillon Independent via Canton Repository. 1 million-gallon water tower in Massillon getting a facelift. "Aqua Ohio is putting about $600,000 of work into its water tower on Massillon's southwest side. An Aqua Ohio water tower used to help supply drinking water to west side residents is in the midst of six-figure facelift. A $600,000 effort is ongoing to upgrade the tower, which sits on property in the 1200 block of Kenyon Ave. SW, aiming to upgrade the inside and outside of the structure. It holds 1 million gallons of water. Work involves water draining, sandblasting, minor repairs and repainting sections of the tower, according to the company. The upgrades should take a few weeks." Questions: has anyone checked to see if the contractors will be releasing lead into the water or the surrounding community? Does anyone remember last week's story about the water tower in North Carolina?


Around Us: Lead in Water

June 24, 2024. Hamilton Spectator. Provincial standards not strong enough to protect kids from lead exposure, says expert "Even Health Canada’s stricter safety guidelines permit a level of lead in drinking water that could put students at risk, says environmental health expert. Bruce Lanphear, a professor of health sciences at Simon Fraser University, says Ontario’s lead in water safety standards are insufficient to protect children from toxic exposure to lead in drinking water. Ontario’s safety threshold for lead in school drinking water is too lax to protect children from toxic harms, including at more than 25 schools in the Hamilton area, says a leading Canadian expert in environmental neurotoxins. Of the 40 Hamilton schools that have tested positive for high levels of lead in water over the last four years, only 15 have had remedial work done to repair or remove pipes to keep the water safe. While tests on the remaining 25 show lead in drinking water over five parts per billion (ppb), which exceeds the suggested limit set by Health Canada, they remain below the provincial standard of 10 ppb. And that could create problems for children’s health, said Bruce Lanphear, a professor of health sciences at Simon Fraser University who studies the impacts of lead exposure on human health." FWIW When was the last time CMSD tested their water sources for lead? Should they do the testing and bring the results to the voters when they ask for a levy? Ask Warren Morgan what is the plan for lead safety? 


Around Us: Lead in Consumer Products

June 24, 2024. King5News. Despite an incoming Washington state law, lead-ridden imported cookware remains for sale. State officials are still figuring out how it will identify and purchase dangerous cookware when the new law takes effect in 2026. "It wasn’t until his family’s arrival in the United States in January that Hamidullah Shabaan learned the possible cause of the concerning behavior by his 6-year-old twins. 'They were crying. Even they were … breaking glass and they were eating glass,' said Shabaan, from the living room of his apartment in Redmond. He had first noticed the learning disabilities and developmental problems when his children were 3 years old in his native Afghanistan. 'I was thinking my son is going to lose his mind,' said an exasperated Shabaan.  Answers came from blood tests the boys received when they arrived in America. Both had high levels of toxic lead in their bloodstreams. Lead can stunt growth and development in children. 'So, the doctors ... explained to me and then I understood. It’s going to be very, very dangerous, especially for the kids,' said Shabaan. It’s exactly the kind of story that pushed Washington to become the first in the nation to pass a state law earlier this year that will restrict the amount of lead in cookware to less than five parts per million lead. Shabaan’s family was fortunate to arrive in King County where extensive research following cases like Shabaan’s pinpointed high levels of lead in Afghan children to traditional aluminum pressure cookers that are common in Afghanistan households. Tests by the King County Hazardous Waste Management Program showed the pressure cookers, that are advertised as aluminum products, actually contained tens of thousands of parts per million lead. It's not just Afghan cookware. Subsequent testing by King County showed lead in a wide range of imported aluminum pots and pans. Many of these items are a click away on websites like Amazon and Etsy." The City and the County have provided generous support to resettlement initiatives, but are these programs offering lead-related information? Learn more here.


Around Us: Lead Safe Certificates


Around Us: Lead in Soil

June 27, 2024. South Bend Tribune. Residents shocked and concerned by elevated lead hazards in South Bend neighborhoods. "Curtis Cathey was immediately concerned after learning about the risk of elevated lead levels in his neighborhood full of older homes. As he attended the Miami Village Neighborhood Summer Kickoff with his two sons, 11-year-old Aasim and 6-year-old Ameer, he became determined to know the hazards his home might potentially pose to his family. Aasim and Ameer regularly play outside, and Cathey used to grow cucumbers. 'I didn’t know it was a big deal,' Cathey said. 'I’m going to go home to get some dirt and get it tested.' Ornella Joseph and Vikrant Jandev, graduate students with the Notre Dame Lead Innovation Team, provided lead testing at the summer kickoff at Randolph Park on June 1. 'People will bring their soil samples and we will test it on site and tell them what the levels are so they can take remedial action,' said Joseph, who works at a lab under Notre Dame Professor Marya Lieberman. Joseph explained that remedial action could include covering the soil with grass so children can’t play in it or planting flowers instead of vegetables 'so that you’re not exposing yourself.' ”


Around Us. Child Lead Testing

Around Us: Lead Around the World

June 25, 2024. BUSINESS WIRE via Yahoo New Research Finds Lead Has The Largest Health Impact Of Top 16 Chemical Pollutants. "A new study, "Structured Expert Judgement Approach of the Health Impact of Various Chemicals and Classes of Chemicals", published in PLOS One today evaluates the global mortality from sixteen chemical pollutants. The study was conducted to address the need for prioritizing interventions for chemical pollutants, a growing global health concern. The Structured Expert Judgement (SEJ) process highlighted lead, asbestos, arsenic, and highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) as the chemicals with the most significant health impacts in terms of mortality. Lead stands out as the largest chemical of concern by far, with an estimated median of 1.7 million deaths annually, suggesting an urgent need for targeted interventions." Here's the study.

 

Safety begins at home

Summertime is clean up and fix up time. CLASH can help you Renovate Right

If you or your group/organization is planning a cleanup fix up event, CLASH can provide copies of EPA Renovate Right brochures and training manuals. It's the law! "Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program. Any renovation, repair, or painting (RRP) project in a pre-1978 home or building can easily create dangerous lead dust. EPA requires that RRP projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities and preschools built before 1978 be performed by lead-safe certified contractors. Generally, EPA’s Lead RRP rule does not apply to homeowners doing RRP projects in their own homes. However, it does apply if you rent all or part of your home, operate a child care center in your home or if you buy, renovate, and sell homes for profit (i.e., a house flipper)." Hit reply if you'd like more information on how to renovate right without making your family, neighbors and community poisoned with lead.

Around Cleveland


Around Ohio

Around Us.

FWIW Remembering Luke Easter

On the anniversary of Cleveland's Luke Easter hitting the longest home run at Cleveland Stadium, we note that Easter's first "professional" team was in St. Louis. "Although Easter was good enough to be a professional player, there was no Negro league franchise in St. Louis. So, in 1937 Easter joined the top team in the area, a semipro outfit called the St. Louis Titanium Giants. The team was made up of African-Americans employed by the National Lead Company. Players would work their factory jobs during the week, often with time off to practice, then play baseball for the company on weekends. Easter earned $20 per week plus another ten to twenty on the weekends playing baseball." 


Around Cleveland

June 14, 2024. Ideastream Public Media. Cleveland's "cyber event" sets back lead-safe home efforts. "Money is available to Cleveland homeowners to make their property lead-safe. Currently, landlords must email or mail applications as the online application portal is not available. Cyber security issues that shut down the City of Cleveland operations this week also hampered efforts to ensure all residential rental properties are lead-safe. A 2019 city law requires landlords who don’t reside in their residential properties to register each unit with the city. A recently launched online portal, which aims to make the process easier, is not operating partly due to the cyber incident. Online registrations were beginning to flood into the system when the portal went live last week, said Sally Martin, Cleveland's director of building and housing, at a lead-safe advisory board meeting Thursday. The online portal is currently not operating, she said. Martin said the online application process for residential property owners to apply for lead certification has also been delayed due to challenges the city is experiencing with the software." 


Around Ohio

Around Us


Around Cleveland

May. 28, 2024. cleveland.com. Water company crews will get the lead out on North Park Boulevard in Cleveland Heights. "After the initial shock of finding out their water lines may be made of lead, about two dozen North Park Boulevard residents got some relief in learning that the pipes will be replaced for free. Cleveland Water officials assured any affected customers that 'first and foremost, our water is safe,' even in lines that predate 1954 -- the year they stopped installing lead. Those years in Cleveland Heights may differ, since the city was its own 'master meter community' up until turning over the entire system to Cleveland Water in 2017. More recently on North Park Boulevard, things got off to a rocky start in letters dated May 2 regarding Cleveland Water’s 'lead service line replacement program.' ”


Around Ohio

May 28, 2024. WCPO. 'It's about showing somebody that you care': Cincinnati nonprofit fixes homes, keeps community connected. "People Working Cooperatively is repairing homes for those who can’t do it themselves. For one local organization, it just takes a paintbrush or broom to show someone that you care. 'We're going to sand all the old paint off and were going to refinish the front and back porch, give it a nice fresh new look,' Brady Fogle said. Volunteer Brady Fogle. Fogle, a volunteer with the nonprofit People Working Cooperatively (PWC), helped one homeowner paint her front and back porch on Tuesday. PWC, which has partnered with FC Cincinnati and Sherwin Williams Paint Store to make this happen, has thousands of volunteers who venture into the community to help homeowners who can’t fix up their homes themselves." If your community organizations wants to help, learn more about Lead Safe Work Practices before you "sand off all the old paint". You may be making things worse.


Around the US

USEPA seeks your input

EPA Region 5 is launching the first in a series of virtual community engagement sessions on Jun 10, 2024 07:00 PM Eastern Time. Goal is to support open and inclusive dialogue with community leaders as they engage with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), our State partners, and others on environmental justice (EJ) concerns throughout the Region. We will share information about our various grant programs and technical assistance resources and learn about environmental priorities and needs that are affecting communities. Our target audience is community leaders in urban, suburban, and rural areas that represent communities that may be experiencing EJ related issues and may have not received EPA resources or support previously. All attendees are required to register in order to attend. We encourage you to attend as well as ask that you share these flyers with your local networks/contacts. We currently have 200 community members registered, thank you for those who are registered.


May 2024


Around Ohio

May 24, 2024. CNN. Once celebrated, an inventor’s breakthroughs are now viewed as disasters — and the world is still recovering. 


Around Us

The importance of child lead testing


Lead Never Goes Away...But there are ways to reduce the risk

Stay in your silo, Mr. Lead

Ideastream Public Media reports Cleveland Clinic event focuses on public dialogue, education to address Black health disparities  "We need to educate more around healthy behaviors that actually are preventative, eating behaviors, lifestyle behaviors that are preventative, that allow people to avoid developing chronic illnesses..." CLASH comment: Whoops...did you forget to mention childhood lead poisoning? 

April 2024

Around Ohio

April 14, 2024. Richland Source. Couple restoring historic home finds lead in an unexpected place: “'Our kids were getting poisoned by our home.' ” Jordon and Talon Baker weren’t sure if they wanted to stay in Mansfield when they got married eight years ago. The young couple joked that if they did stay in their hometown, they wanted to live somewhere special. 'I always wanted a Victorian on Park Avenue,' Talon said. 'That was the thing — if we’re going to stay here long-term, let’s try to get one of those.' The Bakers made that dream a reality four years ago. They purchased their home at 317 Park Avenue West when their oldest child Ophelia was a baby.


Around Us.

Why is there so much Lead in American Food?

Lead and adult heart disease risk

CLASH's study of barriers to child lead testing support many of these findings. The CLASH report should be released later this summer.


Around Cleveland

Tell Cleveland where to spend Federal Funds to make Cleveland lead safe. Signal Cleveland reports "The city has been collecting feedback since March as part of a requirement to secure the federal dollars to fund housing and related programs in Cleveland. The programs are focused on providing affordable housing and development opportunities to low-income communities. So far, zero residents have commented on how the money should be spent, said city administrator Joy Anderson. Residents have two ways to share their thoughts about how housing and related programs should be funded across the city over the next year: 

In case you need ideas about how the city could promote lead safety visit CLASH 2024 priorities and page down to Advocacy goals.


Around Ohio

Apr. 5, 2024. WTVG. Junction Coalition to host lead education event. "The Junction Coalition is hosting a lead education event for the community this weekend. According to organizers, the event aims to educate families on the dangers of lead exposure and provide them with resources to get help. Attendees will learn about what the Junction Coalition and their partners are doing to combat lead poisoning and will have the opportunity to sign up for the Junction Coalition’s “419 Lead Out Program” to help families get the help they need."


Around Us

Lead and Drag Racers

June 23, 2023. Motorbiscuit. Oregon Drag Strip Accused of Poisoning Children From Lead in Race Fuel. "After a study of lead emissions coming from a local Oregon drag strip, it was determined that children adjacent to the track had cognitive decline. Here's what the study showed and what's happened since. Portland International Raceway is accused of affecting children’s health because of lead emissions from racing fuel. Residents adjacent to the track say low test scores of children living downwind of the track prove that lead emissions are affecting their cognitive development. And now other drag strips nationwide are the focus of investigations over their use of leaded racing fuel. According to an investigation by the Guardian, the cause for cumulative lead exposure in nearby children is racing at PIR. Lead was phased out of gasoline decades ago and was ultimately banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1996. But it is still in the fuel of drag racers as there is an “off-road” exemption. Some racing organizations, like NASCAR, no longer use leaded fuel." Keep reading...all interesting. Worthy of further investigation.

Lead risks to immigrant communities

APRIL 02, 2024. Sacramento Bee.  Hemorrhoid ointment containing lead fatally poisoned woman in Sacramento, health officials say "Sacramento County health officials on Tuesday warned consumers after a local woman purchased a hemorrhoid ointment from Vietnam on social media and died from lead poisoning. The woman in Sacramento developed severe lead poisoning after using the hemorrhoid ointment from Vietnam, called “Cao Boi Tri Cay Thau Dau,” according to a Sacramento County news release. She purchased the ointment on Facebook, and it was mailed to the United States by a relative in Vietnam."  More Here: California woman's fatal poisoning from hemorrhoid cream highlights lead risks


Mar. 28, 2024. cleveland.com. Cleveland’s Mayor Justin Bibb attributes crime reduction, more police applicants to his safety initiatives.  CLASH Noticed No mention of lead, but praise for Residents First legislation.  There was a strong defense of CMSD's "tough choices" but no mention of lead hazards or lead testing in schools. One quote did catch our eye when we read it in Cleveland Scene "That's not an excuse," Bibb said, concluding his speech. "It's a reminder that change doesn't happen overnight. But I'm not going to tell you to be patient. Instead, I ask you to stay engaged, demand better, and be proud of the progress we are making together.” Stay engaged, demand better and be proud of the progress we're making together.' THAT'S CLASH!


Around Cleveland

Mar. 27, 2024. cleveland.com. Children’s well-being is at stake in Cleveland’s lead-safe refresh, version 3.0: editorial. "The good news is that Cleveland is still trying valiantly to recalibrate its approach to making Cleveland rentals lead-safe by 2028 -- this time by creating a special section in the city’s Housing and Building Department that will take a case-management approach to helping noncompliant small landlords navigate the bureaucracy, financial and other challenges. The bad news is that all signs point to cratering landlord compliance, especially among smaller landlords. Meanwhile, hundreds of Cleveland children continue to test annually at elevated lead levels in their blood -- 316 last year, compared with 257 in 2022, cleveland.com’s Courtney Astolfi reports, although the higher number could reflect more robust testing. Actually the higher number reflects a mid-year adjustment of the action level from 5 micrograms/deciliter to the "new" CDC standard of 3.5 micrograms. A CLASH adage is "the more you look, the more you find."


Around Us

Lead and Crime

March 21, 2024. MLK50.org Would removing lead from homes reduce the crime rate? " ‘Crime occurs when people are unwell’: Here’s how experts say the toxin affects children’s brains, public safetyOn a May 2023 episode of his podcast, former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen asked renowned criminal justice economist Jennifer Doleac for her top suggestions for improving public safety. Doleac gave an unconventional answer: Protect young kids from lead. Exposure to lead … when you’re really young, it changes your brain development. Fifteen years later, we’re going to see much higher rates of juvenile delinquency (and) suspension from school,' Doleac said. 'If it were up to me — if I had a magic wand — I would spend a whole lot of money on getting lead out of the environment.' ”  CLASH has updated our webpage on lead and crime using some of the links in this article-check it out.


Lead in Cookware: a problem for immigrant families

This week Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed the Lead in Cookware Act, which will ban the toxic from any products used to cook food. This is particularly a problem with cookware produced overseas and used in immigrant households. Below are some links to the coverage of this news from the State of Washington. CLASH consultant Dr. Maria Jose Talayero Schettino opens her presentation on lead and crime with several slides showing the cookware she ate from as a child in her native Mexico and when she later treated lead poisoned children as a pediatrician in Mexico City before coming to GW University to get her PhD in Public Health. 

You can read more about the impacts of lead among immigrant households at CLASH's webpage. https://www.clashcle.org/resources/resources-for-families/resources-for-immigrant-communities


March 2024

Around Cleveland

Mar. 18, 2024. cleveland.com. Lagging compliance with Cleveland’s lead-safe law prompts changes from City Hall. "Cleveland is “re-tooling” its approach to the city’s 2019 landmark lead-safety law because few landlords are complying. The announcement comes alongside new data that shows first-time lead-safe certifications during the last three months of 2023 dropped to just 345 -- the lowest level yet since early 2021. The drop caps off a year-and-a-half-long pattern of declines in the number of landlords complying with the law by registering their pre-1978 rental homes as lead-safe. During a City Council committee hearing on Monday, Emily Collins, senior strategist for Mayor Justin Bibb, acknowledged that Cleveland’s lead initiative has hit “a bit of a stall.” She said the city is “re-tooling” several aspects of its enforcement efforts to hopefully increase compliance." thanks Andre for sharing.


Around Ohio

Mar. 20, 2024. Spectrum News. State allocates $5.8 million more toward lead prevention and mitigation projects "In an effort to protect more Ohioans from toxic lead, the state is allocated an addition $5.8 million toward grant funding through the Lead Safe Ohio program, according to a press release from the state. The release notes that this brings the program total to $90 million, with efforts across 76 state counties."


Around Us

Lead Pipe News Week

The politics of local lead safety policies: a little late, but worth the read.

October 13, 2023. Milwaukee FOX6 News. Milwaukee city budget; lead abatement fix could cost billions. "You might be living with lead exposure in your home and not know it. In Milwaukee alone, it is estimated there are thousands of homes that are affected – and the fix could cost billions. Across the city, the Milwaukee Health Department is playing a game of whack-a-mole. A child gets lead poisoning that triggers a process to get rid of the lead from the family's home. Then another child gets lead poisoning – and that process happens again and again. 'We are seeing a spike, due to less children being tested during pandemic,' said Tyler Weber, City of Milwaukee Environmental Health Deputy Commissioner. So far in 2023, lead was found in 15,243 kids under age 6. Eighty percent of those come from rental units. City officials estimated there are about 200,000 units built in 1978 or earlier that are of concern with having lead paint. Just to make them lead-safe (not lead-free) costs about $40,000 a pop. If you do the math, to take care of it all would be in the billions of dollars." This story is a little old but exactly the dilemma that Cleveland faced in 2019 when CLASH mounted a citizen's initiative. Now the issue is making the plan work.

Around CLASH

Around Cleveland

Around Us

Flint Still in the News

Lead in Processed Food (last week's articles were paywalled)


Around Cleveland

Mar 14, 2024 1:00 pm The Lead Safe Advisory Board Meetings are held at City Hall, Room 509 and run from 1 pm to about 2:30 pm. The meetings are open to the public to attend or to view. 

https://cityclevelandoh.webex.com/cityclevelandoh/j.php?MTID=m8aba6dce9b8faeda4d01a2b71ed3d690

Meeting number: 2304 828 4388 Password: w8Pyp429RVV


Around Ohio

February 29, 2024. Morning Journal Lorain County commissioners approve consultant for countywide lead abatement program. "Lorain County commissioners unanimously passed legislation at a meeting Feb. 27 to hire a consulting group to complete a county-wide lead abatement project. The commissioners initially balked at paying Kleinfelder Inc. $672,000 to administer Lorain County’s Lead Safe Ohio Grant, which it received in January. Lorain County received the $1,892,000 grant to complete lead safe renovation projects, lead abatement projects and related supportive measures for sites that meet the eligibility criteria throughout the county over the next two years, officials have said.County Administrator Jeff Armbruster was hesitant to spend money on the consultant, so the commissioners tabled legislation for a month, said Commission Vice President David Moore. In recent years, the commissioners hired several consultants with a hefty price tag and the board is attempting to cut back on the cost of hiring consultants when possible, the commissioners have said. The commission had no choice to hire the consultant for the lead abatement program because it is a stipulation of the grant, Moore said." Did we read this right? The consultant gets 35% of the grant? Nice work if you can get it.

Around Us

Everybody has one.

MARCH 08, 2024. Kansas City Star. Pete Buttigieg attacks Kris Kobach for calling benefits of lead pipe rules ‘speculative’  "U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and other Democrats attacked Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach on Friday after he suggested the benefits of federal regulations on lead pipes were 'speculative.' The Republican state attorney general on Thursday night criticized a line in President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address touting the removal of lead pipes across the country as a victory. 'Biden wants to replace lead pipes. He failed to mention that the unfunded mandate sets an almost impossible timeline, will cost billions, infringe on the rights of the States and their residents – all for benefits that may be entirely speculative,' Kobach said in a post to X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter." 


Around Us

This week in the Tainted Applesauce story

Feb 27, 2024. NYT. Lead-Tainted Applesauce Sailed Through Gaps in Food-Safety System. "Hundreds of American children were poisoned last year. Records show how, time and again, the contamination went unnoticed." More here 


EPA and HUD Renew Memorandum of Understanding re: enforcement

"The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced two complementary agreements to further their “whole of government” approach to strengthen these agencies’ shared work in ensuring that children, especially those at high risk, are not exposed to human health risks from lead hazards. These two Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) support commitments made in the Lead and Paint Action Plan, EPA’s Strategic Plan, HUD’s Strategic Plan, and HHS’s Strategic Plan, which seek to reduce lead exposures locally with a focus on underserved communities and promote environmental justice through a whole of government approach. One MOU expands, updates, and reaffirms a 1997 agreement between EPA and HUD to coordinate their enforcement efforts addressing lead-based paint hazards in housing." Read it here and follow the links.


February 2024

round Cleveland

Feb. 05, 2024. cleveland.com Cleveland City Council adopts new blight-fighting tools, with some changes to Mayor Bibb’s plan. "Cleveland City Council on Monday passed its version of Mayor Justin Bibb’s “Residents First” housing code enforcement overhaul, which maintains much of Bibb’s original plan, but includes some compromises." 

Around Us (Cleveland's not alone in addressing lead. We can learn from other cities and states)

This week's Fruit Pouch News


States take the lead on lead

Around Cleveland

Around Ohio

Around Us

This week in fruit pouches 

January 29, 2024. USA TODAY.  Recalled cinnamon applesauce pouches were never tested for lead, FDA reports. "The recalled cinnamon applesauce pouches contaminated with lead that sickened hundreds of children were not tested for the heavy metals at the manufacturing plant, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation finds. An FDA document, first obtained by CBS News, details an inspection of the Austrofood factory in Ecuador that happened at the beginning of December. The inspection found that "numerous rough edges, chipped, and pitted areas" on a stainless-steel conveyor belt led to metal pieces breaking off and ending up in the final product."  wake up call, FDA.


January 2024

Around Cleveland 

Around Ohio

Around Us

This week in Fruit Pouch Poisoning

Around Cleveland

Around Ohio

Lots of local stories about Ohio CHIP grants for lead clean up. Funny to see all these rural r's line up to take credit for big guv'mt money.


Around Us

EPA News, local and regional fallout

WTF? Is this the next fad?

January 20, 2024. Yahoo.com. This common cat litter ingredient can help keep dangerous lead from poisoning people’s yards: ‘It’s 20 minutes of work’ Zeolite, a super-absorbent mineral common in cat litter, can also sop up lead contamination in your backyard." Here's the rest of the story. Anyone want to do some research?


Around Cleveland-The missing link?  

A copy of the December report of the Lead Safe Auditor turned up this week on a Cleveland City Council link. The CWRU website that hosts Cleveland's Lead Safe Advisory Board information has not been updated since the December 14th meeting, although Signal Cleveland published a PowerPoint presentation of the December report. A quick review of the newly discovered 19 page report seemed to echo the findings of the September Auditors Report, which set off a flurry of news stories when it was made public in late October. Takeaway? "It has been reported in prior quarters, as in this one, that compliance for rentals not on the registry has been minimal, providing factual evidence that further efforts must be made to bring those property owners into the certification process and achieve the stated goals."


Around Ohio

January 13, 2024. Morning Journal. Lorain County receives $45K grant to remove toxic lead from houses. "The Ohio Department of Development announced Jan. 11 that $1.6 million in grants to help remove toxic lead from 82 low- and moderate-income households in 25 communities across the state, including Lorain County, according to a news release. Lorain County will receive a $45,000 grant. The funding comes from Community Housing Impact and Preservation (CHIP) — Lead Abatement Program (LAP) money allocated through the Lead Safe Ohio program, which is investing a total of nearly $100 million to support lead mitigation and prevention projects, the release said. [   ] This is in addition to the $84 million in awards announced on Dec. 14, the release said." More here.


Around Us


Fruit pouch news of the week

Investigation of Elevated Lead & Chromium Levels: Cinnamon Applesauce Pouches (November 2023) "CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health is conducting case finding efforts in collaboration with state and local health departments. CDC’s case definition for state partners includes a blood lead level of 3.5 µg/dL or higher measured within 3 months after consuming a recalled WanaBana, Schnucks, or Weis brand fruit puree product after November 2022. As of January 5, CDC has received reports of 86 confirmed cases, 209 probable cases, and 26 suspected cases for a total of 321 cases from 38 different states through their reporting structure." Lots of stories, not much news.


Around Cleveland

Around Ohio

Around Us

This week in tainted applesauce

January 5, 2024. Associated Press via ABC.  Lead-tainted applesauce pouches also contained another possible toxic substance: FDAU.S. health officials say that recalled cinnamon applesauce pouches tied to lead poisoning in U.S. kids contained chromium, a chemical element that can be toxic "Recalled cinnamon applesauce pouches that were tied to lead poisoning in hundreds of U.S. children contained an additional contaminant, federal health officials said Friday. Besides lead, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said investigators detected “a high level” of the chemical element chromium, which can be toxic, in WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree and in cinnamon collected from the Ecuador factory where the pouches were manufactured.`` Here's the latest CDC update

December 2023

About those railroad bridges

This week in Applesauce food packets

Still no word on Cleveland's efforts to address railroad bridges.

Around Us


This week's update on Fruit Pouch investigations

12/14/2023. Politico. Applesauce pouches may have been contaminated on purpose, FDA foods chief saysThe food safety agency continues to investigate dozens of incidents of lead poisoning in U.S. children linked to three brands of cinnamon applesauce pouches. "Tainted cinnamon applesauce pouches that have sickened scores of children in the U.S. may have been purposefully contaminated with lead, according to FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones. 'We’re still in the midst of our investigation. But so far all of the signals we’re getting lead to an intentional act on the part of someone in the supply chain and we’re trying to sort of figure that out,' Jones said in an exclusive interview. The pouches found to be contaminated were sold under three brands — Weis, WanaBana and Schnucks — that are all linked to a manufacturing facility in Ecuador. The FDA says it’s conducting an inspection of that facility."

Around Ohio

Around Us

Inside the Lead and Copper rule news

Another Upcoming EPA Region 5 Webinar

EPA Region 5 will be presenting a discussion on Tuesday, December 12, 2023 from 3to 4p.m. ET, Q&A session from 4 to 4:15 p.m. ET Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a tool designed to investigate how a proposed program, project, policy, or plan may impact health and well-being and inform decision makers of these potential outcomes before the decision is made. HIA can also be used as an approach to engage the community as a stakeholder and to coproduce recommendations to improve community health. Registration and presentation information is in the attached flyer. Please pass this along to your contacts that might be interested.


The latest on applesauce pouches story

November

Around Us

Fruit Pouch Update

Don't Panic. Drink bottled water til we know


CLASH news

Around Cleveland

Around Ohio.

 It's YOU cinnamon!

Around Us

sidebar 1: Two more decades til we're done! That's why CLASH calls Lead a generational mission. 

sidebar 2: Wanna know more about lead pipes--see attached.

sidebar 1: Instead of waiting for sick babies to show up at the MD, here's a "go out and look for it" approach! 

sidebar 2: Are you listening Cuyahoga County Board of Health and Cleveland Department of Public Health?

Nov. 02, 2023, Cleveland.com. When it comes to making Cleveland lead-safe, our children can’t wait. "Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing (CLASH) would like to thank The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com editorial board for calling for radical action to save Cleveland’s Lead Safe Certificate Program (”Cleveland’s faltering lead-safe effort needs a recharge - and radical rethinking,” Nov. 1). CLASH has argued for four years that enforcement is the pathway to voluntary compliance."

By attending these classes, you will gain essential insights into identifying, mitigating, and preventing lead hazards in rental properties. Our expert instructors will guide you through best practices and regulations, empowering you to create healthier homes and protect the well-being of your tenants. 

October 2023

Around Cleveland

Oct 02, 2023. WEWS. CLE Lead Safe compliance slowing according to Case Western study "Erika Jarvis of Cleveland, who was lead poisoned at the age of four, reacted to the latest Case Western Reserve University report showing the city lead safe program may be stalling. The report shows lead safe applications among Cleveland landlords declined 24% in the second quarter of 2023 to just 490, a trend showing applications down 1000 per quarter since 2022. The study showed application denials are up 53% in the last quarter of 2023 and lead safe renewal by landlords after two years is just 20 to 30%. Jarvis told News 5 she believes the Cleveland Lead Safe Coalition needs to do more to reach out to non-compliant rental property owners in various ways." 

Two opinion pieces that deserve attention. 

September 2023



Approaching zero. A new goal that's between lead safe and lead free.



August 2023


July 2023


June 2023


May 2023

April 2023

March 2023


February 2023

January 2023 News