Lead Poisoning for Children — Hot Spots in RI
Monday, March 13, 2017
The threat of lead poisoning continues to be a serious public health issue for Rhode Island children. New data identifies the areas which are the “hot spots” for elevated lead levels across Rhode Island over the past ten years.
Each year in the United States, 310,000 children between the ages of 1 and 5 are diagnosed with having unsafe levels of lead in their blood, which can lead to a wide range of symptoms, from headaches and stomach pain to behavioral problems and anemia. Lead poisoning is directly linked to adverse impact on brain development.
SLIDES: See the Zip Codes in RI with the Highest Percentage of Children Tested with Elevated Lead Levels BELOW
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Lead poisoning jumped back in the national spotlight when the massive lead poisoning contamination of Flint, Michigan came to the forefront. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), "During April 25, 2014–October 15, 2015, approximately 99,000 residents of Flint, Michigan, were affected by changes in drinking water quality after their water source was switched from the Detroit Water Authority sourced from Lake Huron, to the Flint Water System (FWS)."
How bad was Flint's lead poisoning? Federal officials said, "...children who drank Flint water had a 50 percent higher risk of dangerously elevated blood lead levels than before the switch."
In April, the Boston Globe published an analysis of EPA data that found that Providence Water Supply’s drinking water system was "one of the largest in the country to exceed a federal lead standard since 2013. It has gone over the limit six times since 2010 after testing samples of the tap water used by about 300,000 people in Providence and the surrounding cities of Cranston, Johnston and North Providence."
Information is Confusing
The Providence Water Supply Board warned customers in the summer of 2016 that it found elevated levels of lead in drinking water in some homes and buildings - and told customers that they “might want to have their drinking water tested" - by picking up a $15 test kit at its customer service location.
Simultaneously, the State’s largest water supplier claimed they are in compliance.
“Providence Water is in full compliance with State and Federal lead and copper rules. While not required, the brochure you are referencing is being sent out by Providence Water as an ongoing educational initiative,” said Providence Water spokesperson Dyana Koelsch.
Providence Not Alone
The cities and towns with the highest percentage of elevated lead levels was not just in Rhode Island's urban core, according to data published by the RIDOH for 2015. New Shoreham (Block Island) has the highest numbers. (Note this data is a different measure than a broader collection of data used to identify the hot spots across the state).
SEE THE AREAS AROUND RI WITH THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN WITH ELEVATED LEAD POISONING
Related Slideshow: Lead Poisoning for Children — Hot Spots in RI
Source: State agencies or CDC. Some states did not include data for census tracts and zip codes if the testing numbers were small, usually below five, to protect patient privacy. These areas appear as if no one was tested.
Data by zip code: RI
Years: Data 2005-2015
DATA: Developed by Reuters
Zip codes with <100 children tested not included in ranking.
