* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: President Dixon
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
In Support of Baltimore City's Celebration of National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week - October 22-28, 2006
FOR the purpose of embracing the dramatic decline in the number of lead-poisoned children in Maryland and commending the efforts of many community-based and governmental organizations working to reduce the incidence of childhood lead poisoning while candidly recognizing that in Baltimore City, where the number of children that test positive for elevated levels of lead is 3 times the state average, the fight to eradicate lead poisoning is far from over and, in partnership with local leaders, elected officials, health professionals, and parents, recommitting Baltimore City to achieving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention goal for the eradication of lead poisoning by 2010.
Body
Recitals
The Environmental Protection Agency observes National Lead Poisoning Week to highlight the importance of educating parents and children about the dangers of lead exposure, especially lead-paint hazards in housing, that can lead to irreversible brain damage, neurological impairment, and a lifetime of unrealized potential for the victim. In Maryland, public education about the hazards of lead paint has contributed to a dramatic decline in the number of lead-poisoned children - the usual and dismaying number of 14,000 children a year testing positive declined to less than 10% of that in 2005.
The Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning, a Baltimore-based nonprofit, reports that lead poisoning is the number 1 environmental hazard threatening children throughout the United States, affecting an estimated 434,000 children under the age of 6 who, along with pregnant women, are at the greatest risk for lead poisoning because lead inhibits the proper physical and cognitive development of children and infants. Even low levels of lead poisoning can cause hyperactivity, aggressive behavior, learning disabilities, lowered IQ, speech delay, and hearing impairment. High levels of lead can cause severe mental disabilities, convulsions, coma, or even death.
Although lead poisoning is completely preventable, hundreds of children in Maryland are diagnosed with elevated levels of lead in their blood each year, and thousands of children go untested. Because of lead's effects on a child's brain, thousands of children fail to reach their full potential, and hundreds of communities are denied the benefits of a child's long term productivity, as children who are lead poisoned are more likely to become involved with the juvenile justice system and 7 more times likely to drop out of school. Lost wages and the toll of anti-social behaviors and increased special education needs add up to millions of dollars a year in costs to the general public.
To celebrate National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning held "Making Lead Poisoning History" events throughout the week of October 22-28, 2006. The highlight of the celebration was the March to 2010, the year in which the EPA pledges to eradicate lead poisoning, when parents, community leaders, activists, nurses, students, teachers, children, policy makers, and citizens marched along a 1 mile route, beginning on North Monroe Street in Sandtown-Winchester, that is a notorious area where lead poisoning of Baltimore's children has occurred.
The events of Maryland's celebration of National Lead Poisoning Week refocus our attention on the perils of exposure to lead and reaffirm our unified commitment to protect future generations by making "Maryland Lead Safe".
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That this Body thankfully embraces the dramatic decline in the number of lead-poisoned children in Maryland and commends the efforts of many community-based and governmental organizations working to reduce the incidence of childhood lead poisoning, while candidly recognizing that in Baltimore City, where the number of children that test positive for elevated levels of lead is 3 times the state average, the fight to eradicate lead poisoning is far from over and, in partnership with local leaders, elected officials, health professionals, and parents, recommits Baltimore City to achieving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention goal for the eradication of lead poisoning by 2010.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to Mayor, the Baltimore Health Commissioner, the membership of the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning, and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
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