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More About Lead (in Washington)

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More About Lead (in Washington)

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  1. Hence gout and stone afflict the human race;Hence lazy jaundice with her saffron face;Palsy, with shaking head and tott'ring knees.And bloated dropsy, the staunch sot's disease;Consumption, pale, with keen but hollow eye,And sharpened feature, shew'd that death was nigh.The feeble offspring curse their crazy sires,And, tainted from his birth, the youth expires.(Description of lead poisoning by an anonymous Roman hermit, translated by Humelbergius Secundus, 1829)

  2. More About Lead(in Washington) Mark Crippen and Cristina Haworth Winter 2010

  3. Background

  4. An Abbreviated Timeline of Lead

  5. Lead Use • Paint • Increase durability • Gasoline • Reduces engine knock • Improve car performance • Ethnic remedies • Treating upset stomach, etc. • Lead pipes • Water and sewage • Also found in solder, industrial processes, toys

  6. Stakeholders • Residents • Disadvantaged areas • Communities near industry • Non-profit organizations • Alliance for Healthy Homes • National Lead Information Center • *Washington Toxics Coalition • *The Trumpeter Swan Society • Government agencies • Center for Disease Control • Environmental Protection Agency • Food and Drug Administration • Department of Public Health • Department of Housing and Development • Occupational Safety and Health Administration • *WA State Department of Ecology * Washington-based organization/agency

  7. Hazard Identification

  8. At-Risk Population • Children • Hand-to-mouth behavior • Play environment • Rapid breathing rate • Poor • Recent immigrants • Occupationally exposed parents

  9. Case Study: Lead Lawsuit • Client: family of a 5-year-old boy diagnosed with lead poisoning • Low-income housing • Contained lead-based paint • Ingested paint chips • Lead poisoning resulted in neurological damage Baron and Budd, P.C. http://baronandbudd.com/legal_services/other_toxic_substances/lead_paint

  10. Case Study: Lead Lawsuit • Suit brought against the family's landlord: • Knew apartment contained lead-based paint • Previous citations for violations of lead-based paint regulations • Failed to remove the paint, or warn tenants • Confidential settlement reached between Baron & Budd and landlord • Trust fund set up for the child

  11. Case Study: Asarco Copper smelting in Tacoma 1940’s-era photo of the Asarco smokestack seen from the Port of Tacoma. Photo courtesy of HistoryLink.org

  12. Case Study: Asarco • 1999- Department of Ecology and local health departments in King, Pierce, Kitsap, and Thurston counties conduct study to: • Determine extent of soil pollution • Test soils where children play • Provide education and outreach to affected communities • Document process and action plans (Tacoma Smelter Plume Management Plan)

  13. Case Study: Asarco • As of 2006 over 300 child-use facilities within the area were tested in King and Pierce counties • Above state standards: • 10% percent in mainland King County • 30% on Vashon/Maury Island • 30% percent in Pierce County • In 2005, the Legislature passed RCW 70.140 to keep children safe from Asarco pollution

  14. A Few Interesting Facts • Renal disease and gout • Most lead inhaled to lower respiratory tract is absorbed • Absorbed lead is split between • Blood • Mineralizing tissues • Soft tissues • Half-life: 28-36 days • U.S. was the last country to remove lead from paint • Adults: decreased libido and impotence

  15. Risk Assessment Question

  16. Guiding Questions • What is the risk to children of lead poisoning from house dust, paint chips, and residential soil in Washington State? Are the current regulatory standards for soil lead concentrations sufficient? Longbone radiographs of hands. “Lead lines” in five year old male with radiological growth retardation and blood lead level of 37.7μg/dL. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Celsa López, Clinical Epidemiologic Research Unit, IMSS, Torreón, México)

  17. Current Regulations • EPA: Blood lead action level: 10 µg/dL • EPA: Air lead level: 0.15 µg/m³ • WA DoE- Residential soil: 250 ppm • EPA- Parks/playground soil: 400 ppm • EPA- Non-play area soil: 1200 ppm

  18. Exposure Assessment

  19. Routes of Exposure • Inhalation • Aerosolized house dust, residential soil • Occupational exposure • Ingestion • Lead paint chips • Hand-to-mouth behavior • Contaminated food or water

  20. Washington Toxics Coalition Study • Soil: • Soil lead level for pre-1950’s residences: 1000-6000 ppm • Levels will increase as lead is removed from the buildings by weathering and maintenance • Lead is tracked into buildings and contributes to lead levels in house dust • Paint: • 1.5 million homes built before 1978 ban on lead-based paint • 80% estimated to contain lead-based paint • The average lead level of interior carpet was • 10,700 µg/m² when outside shoes were worn inside • 35,100 µg/m² in a remodeled home

  21. Paint Cleanup • EPA-recommended processes for cleanup of lead-contaminated construction sites: • Inform residents • Create safe work environment: signage and personal protective equipment • Remove furniture • Cover floor and any areas that are not to be worked on • Close and seal vents, turn of HVAC • Minimize dust • Clean construction site daily • Ensure workers are clean before leaving construction site • Thoroughly vacuum and dust the site, use general-purpose cleaner over entire site

  22. Equation Set Up • Uncertainty factor: 10,000 I = C· CR· EFD BW· AT I = C· CR· EFD = C· CR BW· AT BW C = I· BW CR

  23. Risk Characteristics

  24. Calculation • EPA: 200mg/day • NOAEL: 47mg/kg/day • EPA Soil Screening Level Case Study • No reference dose • Unsafe at any level C = I· BW = .00047 mg • 18.5 kg • day CR kg· day 0.0002 kg C = 43 mg lead = 43 ppm kg

  25. Conclusions and Realities • Conclusion: 43 ppm is the maximum level for soil lead concentrations. • The reality is • Lead is a persistent contaminant which is highly unregulated and can cause irreversible damage. • Current regulations are insufficient to protect children, adults, and the environment. • 43 ppm is an unrealistic goal, given the cost and extent of pollution. • Recommendations: • Increase random soil sampling around homes and communities, especially in urban areas. • Set the threshold for action at 150 ppm in residential soil. This is a more reasonable number, which takes cost, political opposition, and human health into consideration.

  26. Risk Management and Communication

  27. CDC’s National Surveillance Data: U.S. & Washington State Statistics

  28. Washington’s Progress • Washington State childhood blood lead registry • Children from birth until their 16th birthday • Includes data as of October 20, 2008 • Data doesn’t necessarily represent all children in the state • A very small percent of children in Washington have blood lead tests

  29. Testing Methods Home lead water test kit. Home lead soil test kit.

  30. Contractor Certification • “Beginning April 2010 contractors performing work that disturbs lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must: • Be EPA certified, and • Follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. ” • “Lead-Safe Practices” • Contain the work area • Minimize dust • Clean up thoroughly • Wisconsin, Iowa, and North Carolina enforce a Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting program • Allows greater local regulation

  31. Lead in the Media • “Strong link between crime, lead exposure in children” • “…even relatively low levels of lead permanently damage the brain and are linked to higher numbers of arrests, particularly for violent crime.” • “…55 percent of the subjects …had been arrested, and that the average was five arrests between the ages of 18 and 24.” • “For those with average lead level in the study, their brains were about 1.2 percent smaller. The most affected regions of the brain were those regulating decision making, impulse control and attention…”

  32. Recommendations for Communication • Create multi-lingual pamphlets to cater to the needs of minorities and recent immigrants • Spread awareness at community meetings, especially in poorer or otherwise disadvantaged areas. • Write legislators, senators, and representatives to push lead cleanup to the forefront of environmental policy. • Provide informational pamphlets at paint retailers. • Encourage purchase of test kit.

  33. Precautionary Assessment

  34. Precautionary Assessment

  35. Precautionary Assessment

  36. Comparison

  37. References • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • www.epa.gov/lead • Washington State Department of Ecology • www.ecy.gov • U.S. Office of Housing and Development • www.hud.gov • Understanding Lead Paint Litigation • www.leadlawsuits.com • Center for Disease Control and Prevention • www.cdc.gov/lead • Toxipedia • www.toxipedia.org

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