Despite high anxieties over lead, PA reports little progress

According to the latest figures provided by the PA Department of Health, 9,325 children under the age of six in the Commonwealth were poisoned by lead in 2017. Considering the tragic, lifelong consequences of lead poisoning, the high number is sure to give one pause. But the fact that only 18.5% of kids under 6 were even tested ought to freeze you in your tracks.

That represents over 700,000 kids under six who weren’t tested even once. To be clear, we’re not calling for state-mandated testing of all children. We are most concerned with the approximately 150,000 one- and two-year-old babies on Medicaid and CHIP at highest risk for poisoning. But with so many children untested, there are surely sickened children who will remain undiagnosed. 

It’s been nearly 5 years since the onset of the lead-tainted water scandal in Flint, Michigan forced the scourge of lead poisoning into the collective consciousness of the nation. Locally, the Inquirer’s revelatory Toxic City series brought safety issues regarding lead-based paint in older homes, tainted soil, and aging schools to light. And the Lead Free Philly Coalition continues to hammer the point that any year of the city’s long-standing lead crisis is far worse than what was experienced in Flint.

Yet, the Commonwealth’s lead surveillance data shows little progress has been made, that the state lacks crucial insight into the full scope of the crisis, and that the manner in which they report the data they do have isn’t optimized for sharing.

Last month, we were the first to share Philly’s latest official numbers in the fight to end childhood lead poisoning. This week, PCCY released our analysis of the Commonwealth’s lead surveillance data, Правильное составление отчетов: улучшение обмена данными эпиднадзора за отравлениями свинцом.

For the second consecutive year, Pennsylvania has the second highest number of children poisoned by lead among states that reported to the CDC. Of the top 10 states with the most children poisoned, Pennsylvania ranks second worst for testing, PCCY learned.

In Getting the Reporting Right, PCCY recommends that the state:

• Detail whether health care providers are following Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s lead screening protocol; indicate whether the state is in compliance with the legal mandate to appropriately screen children on Medicaid and CHIP
• Collect and report data on the incidence of lead poisoning by race (PA DOH only know the race of children in 45% of the tests administered)
  
• Present data regarding the Commonwealth’s largest cities, where an overwhelming share of poisoned children and children at risk for lead poisoning live (the latest surveillance report omitted this information)
  
• Summarize and compare data to inform policy makers and gauge Pennsylvania’s progress.
  

«Мы знаем, как предотвратить отравление свинцом в детстве и избавить детей от ужасного вреда, точно так же, как мы знаем, что эти же усилия сэкономят государству миллионы долларов на здравоохранение, раннее вмешательство, специальное образование и услуги ювенальной юстиции», - сказала Коллин Макколи. Директор по политике здравоохранения PCCY. «Более точные данные помогут сформировать общественную и политическую волю к переменам».

As we noted in November, childhood lead poisoning is an issue that affects all of Southeast Pennsylvania–just ask Montgomery and Lehigh counties who are suing paint companies so that they take responsibility for the removal of their toxic product from pre-1978 properties.

In 2016, 146 children in Flint and its Genesee County suburb tested positive for lead.

In 2016, 3,415 children in Southeastern PA tested positive for lead.

That’s why we’ll be presenting in an information session with the Foundation for Delaware County’s Women’s and Children’s Programs on Tuesday, March 12, at the old Community Hospital Building.

Register HERE or ask Colleen for more information.