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Editorial:
Ohio needs to overhaul its 13-year old lead law
The Ohio Healthy Homes Network (OHHN) has developed a proposal for a Governor's Lead Task Force that would bring together a wide range of stakeholders for one year to study the current lead law, make recommendations and draft legislation. OHHN's proposal is modeled after a similar effort in 1999-2000 that laid the foundation for the current lead law.
The recent approval of a Toledo lead ordinance and Cleveland's interest in a similar law demonstrate the growing support in Ohio for a proactive, property-based approach to keeping kids safe from lead-based paint hazards.
Why do we need to over haul the current law?
Because 4,500 children in Ohio annually have confirmed elevated blood lead levels, mostly as a result of deteriorating lead-based paint in pre-1978 housing. Lead poisoning causes irreparable damage to children, including loss of IQ points, developmental delays, ADHD and other neurological and behavioral problems.
The Task Force would be charged with moving the focus of Ohio's lead poisoning prevention efforts toward making all pre-1978 housing lead-safe. A variety of financing tools would be developed to assist owners.
OHHN will continue to build support for an in-depth examination and overhaul of the state lead law through a Governor's Task Force, legislative working group or some other means. If you are interested in being a part of this effort, contact OHHN.
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