SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — 2021 data from the Onondaga County Health Department indicated that, in Syracuse, almost 400 children showed elevated blood lead levels. Families For Lead Freedom Now contends that political inaction is the main culprit behind a lead crisis carrying on for over 50 years in Syracuse.
A prevention advocate at the organization, Oceanna Fair, believes prior interventions have been largely ineffective.
“In that time, there has been no focus to remediate or remove that lead paint in any meaningful way,” Fair said.
Local contractors, if given adequate resources from the county, would be willing to help eliminate lead in Syracuse homes.
“We can be getting more of the work done,” Fair said. “That is one of the things that, um, Ryan McMahon is saying that we don’t have enough contractors to do the work, that’s simply not true we’re just not helping those smaller contractors be able to do the work.”
Seemingly trace amounts of lead can have devastating impacts. A child’s cognitive functioning is the first thing to be affected by lead. This can leave them less likely to graduate high school or to work above minimum wage and more inclined to commit crime.
Fair cautions people from stigmatizing lead poisoning, as many families who suffer from the condition did not have the resources to rid their living spaces of lead.
For more information, visit leadfreedomcny.org.
