Wilmington Observes National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week with a Fall Harvest Event on Monday Evening, October 22 at Walnut Street YMCA

Posted on  10/19/2012 4:39 pm

Mayor James M. Baker and the Neighborhood Planning Council Leadership cordially invite all families to a Lead Poisoning Prevention Week Fall Harvest Event on Monday, October 22, 2012 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Walnut Street YMCA (10th & Walnut Streets). The event, jointly sponsored by the City of Wilmington, the Latin American Community Center and the Delaware Division of Public Health, combines family activities (e.g. moon bounce, pizza, popcorn) with helpful information on how to prevent lead exposure in the home.

The Fall Harvest Event is being held in observance of National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. Celebrated annually, this event is an opportunity to raise awareness of lead poisoning prevention steps that citizens can take to ensure the health and safety of themselves and their children. Studies show lead poisoning can affect the overall health and educational outcomes of children. Even low levels of lead found in a child’s blood stream can cause serious problems, including behavioral disorders and learning disabilities.

An estimated 93.6 % of Wilmington’s housing stock was built prior to 1980, resulting in the high potential for exposure to lead-based paint. Children may develop lead poisoning by ingesting lead-contaminated dust, paint chips from deteriorating lead-based paint, and lead-contaminated soil. Other sources of lead include lead dust brought home on parents’ clothes, certain imported ceramic pottery, painted objects, traditional home remedies, and imported candies and food products. Additionally, parents engaging in activities that require contact with lead products, such as soldering, making stained glass, and handling bullets or fishing sinkers, can place children at risk.

The City has received over $2.5 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Health Homes and Lead Hazard Control. The grants fund the De-lead Wilmington Program, which aims to eliminate lead-based paint hazards in privately owned housing. The City will use the funds to abate lead exposure in approximately 220 homes.

For more information on Wilmington’s lead prevention efforts, contact Sophia Hanson at 576-3109.