Delaware politicians must protect kids from lead dangers — not landlords

Delaware politicians must protect kids from lead dangers — not landlords | Opinion

Maria Matos

Delaware faces a significant childhood lead poisoning problem, largely due to exposed lead paint in older homes.

A bill (HB 70) addressing lead paint remediation has been introduced, but advocates argue it favors landlords over children's safety.

The bill differs from recommendations made by a state advisory committee and includes provisions that could make enforcement difficult.

Advocates urge legislators to prioritize children's health and strengthen the bill, while landlords seek to protect their interests.

Sometimes elected officials in Delaware are able to make everyone on both sides of an issue happy. But other times, they need to choose sides. Unfortunately, the issue of protecting Delaware’s children from lead poisoning has become one of those issues where legislators must decide which side they are on.

Childhood lead poisoning is an enormous problem in Delaware. The state tests young children for elevated lead levels in their blood, and we know that hundreds of young children are newly diagnosed with elevated lead levels every year. My organization, the Latin American Community Center, recently had 25 young children tested, and 15 of them had elevated blood lead levels.

We know with certainty that lead has dreadful consequences for children — developmental delays, learning disabilities, even consequences that stretch into the teenage years like interaction with the juvenile justice system. We also know with certainty one of the most effective things the state can do to reduce the number of children who suffer these consequences: get rid of exposed lead paint in older homes. National research indicates that exposed lead paint is the top cause of childhood lead poisoning, and research in Delaware confirms that is the case here too. In the last quarter of 2024, the state conducted inspections of 17 homes where children had tested positive for elevated blood levels. Each and every one of the 17 homes had exposed lead paint.

For well more than a year, there has been a solution to this problem on the table. In December, 2023, the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Advisory Committee issued a detailed report to the state recommending legislation that would require, over a period of years, the inspection of older rental units in Delaware for exposed lead paint, and the remediation of that lead paint in units where it was found. This is not a novel idea: Maryland, New Jersey and Philadelphia all have laws requiring remediation of exposed lead. Gov. John Carney and the General Assembly allocated $2.5 million to assist in this effort, and Carney directed another $3 million to the same effort just a few months ago.

A bill implementing the committee’s recommendations was not introduced until just weeks before the end of the 2024 legislative session. Advocates were led to believe that the same bill would be introduced early in this year’s legislative session, allowing us to move forward with efforts to protect Delaware children. Instead, we were shocked to see a new bill introduced last month (HB 70), with multiple changes designed to benefit landlords at the expense of the safety of children — including new provisions that would render the bill virtually unenforceable.

Legislators, and in particular the bill’s House sponsor, now have to make a choice. Will they allow hundreds of additional children a year in Delaware to continue getting lead poisoning, with all of the awful consequences that it has for those children? Or will they stand up to the lobbyists representing landlords, and insist that they make their properties safe for children?

We will be watching closely to see which side our elected officials choose.

Maria Matos is president and CEO of the Latin American Community Center in Wilmington.

https://www.delawareonline.com/story/opinion/2025/05/01/delaware-lead-poisoning-law-must-be-enacted-opinion/83349142007/?tbref=hp

From: https://prcceh.upenn.edu/department-of-health-alerts-pennsylvanians-about-recall-of-childrens-jewelry-set-due-to-lead-and-cadmium-levels/

Department of Health Alerts Pennsylvanians About Recall of Children’s Jewelry Set Due to Lead and Cadmium Levels

January 10, 2025|lead, Toxic Chemicals - EDCs

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) is alerting parents and caregivers about the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall of Yaomiao Children’s Jewelry Sets. Lead and cadmium levels that exceed federal safety standards have been found in the jewelry sets. These products may be serious health hazards, especially to children and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

“Lead and cadmium are heavy metals that can be harmful if ingested and pose a significant risk to infant and child health,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. “This recall serves as an important reminder to parents and caregivers to get children routinely screened for lead exposure. Early identification of elevated lead levels in children can reduce the possible harms from lead exposure. These simple, routine screenings help prevent more serious harm to children’s development.”

People who have purchased the jewelry set should immediately dispose of the product.  Photos of any disposed sets can be sent to simlordroadple@163.com. Purchasers can also contact the seller, LordRoads for a full refund.

This recall affects three Yaomiao-branded children’s jewelry sets. Approximately 6,900 sets were sold in the U.S. exclusively online at Amazon.com from January 2022 through March 2024 for between $8 and $21, depending on the set.

The sets have between three and 12 pieces of jewelry. The jewelry is silver colored with multicolored gems shaped as a unicorn, a butterfly, a heart, a turtle, a star, or a rainbow with a cloud. Each set comes packaged individually in small plastic bags inside a lavender colored box with the words “A Special Gift for the Charming You” printed on it. “Yaomiao” appears on the box’s outer plastic wrap.

DOH maintains a toll-free lead information hotline (1-800-440-LEAD) to provide information about lead poisoning prevention, testing, follow-up, and local resources.

More information about the health impacts of lead can be found on the DOH’s website.

Parents and caregivers of children who may have used the recalled jewelry sets should contact their child’s health care provider about getting a blood lead test.

The Department of Health shared a health alert notice to communicate this recall among state and local public health agencies, health care providers, hospitals, and emergency management officials.

From FDA: Letter to Retailers and Distributors of Cookware, December 12, 2024

Letter to Retailers and Distributors of Cookware

December 12, 2024

Dear Retailers and Distributors of Cookware:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is issuing this letter to inform you that certain imported cookware may leach lead (Pb) into food and that this cookware should not be distributed or sold in the U.S. market.

Specifically, some imported cookware products made from aluminum, brass, and aluminum alloys known as Hindalium/Hindolium or Indalium/Indolium demonstrated the potential to leach lead when tested under conditions designed to mimic their use in contact with food, according to information provided to the FDA by the Public Health Department of Seattle and King County (PHSKC) in Washington State.1,2 There is no known safe level of exposure to lead. The FDA is concerned that food cooked in these products could be served to small children, people of child-bearing age, and those who may be breastfeeding. Developing fetuses, infants, and children are particularly vulnerable to the potential harmful effects from lead exposure because of their smaller body sizes, metabolism, and rapid growth.

The FDA has placed a manufacturer of the cookware, Rashko Baba Co. Ltd., on an FDA import alert to help prevent the further sale of these products in the U.S. market. These products are subject to refusal of admission into the U.S. in that they appear to bear or contain an unsafe food additive. Cookware products that bear or contain an unsafe food additive are adulterated under 21 U.S.C. 342(a)(2)(C)(i). Offering an adulterated product for sale in interstate commerce is a prohibited act under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and the FDA will take action as appropriate when violative products are found on the U.S. market. Retailers and distributors of cookware should be aware that there may be similar products that leach lead, including Rashko Baba products subject to FDA’s import alert, that remain on the U.S. market. Therefore, we urge retailers and distributors of cookware products made from aluminum, brass, and aluminum alloys known as Hindalium/Hindolium or Indalium/Indolium to take the necessary steps to confirm that such products do not leach lead into food. Various testing methods for leachable lead are available, or you may use FDA’s lead leach testing protocol.3

Retailers and distributors of cookware are responsible for ensuring the products they market and/or distribute for use in contact with food are safe for their intended use and comply with all FDA regulations. As always, retailers and distributors are encouraged to consult with the FDA regarding the safety and regulatory status of any products that they market or distribute used in contact with food. Questions for FDA related to this topic can be sent to premarkt@fda.hhs.gov.

Sincerely,

/S/

Kristi Muldoon-Jacobs, Ph.D.
Director, Acting
Office of Food Chemical Safety, Dietary Supplements, and Innovation (OFCSDSI)

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[1] PHSKC in collaboration with the University of Washington published two reports on their findings: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-022-00431-yExternal Link Disclaimer and https://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-024-00686-7External Link Disclaimer

[2] PHSKC posted a table on their website of the specific cookware products demonstrating the most significant lead leaching based on their test results. Information provided on their website includes pictures, brands, and country of origin when available.

[3] “Elemental Analysis Manual (EAM) Method 4.6 Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometric Determination of Cadmium and Lead Extracted from Ceramic Foodware” (https://www.fda.gov/media/95170/download). To modify for cookware, instead of a 24-hour extraction at 22 °C ± 2 °C, the extraction conditions include a 2-hour boil followed by cooling and holding at room temperature for a total of 24 hours. All other method details remain the same.

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https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/letter-retailers-and-distributors-cookware

Image above from EDF: https://blogs.edf.org/health/2023/08/15/fda-says-cookware-that-exhibits-any-level-of-leachable-lead-upon-testing-is-prohibited/

HB 401 Signed By Governor

On July 17th, 2024, Governor Carney signed HB 401!

HB 401 requires the Delaware Division of Public Health to provide the results of lead screenings or tests to school nurses and require contracts or computer upgrades to include lead results.

School nurses are on the front lines of addressing the problem of childhood lead poisoning. Since 1995, Delaware’s school nurses have played an extremely valuable role in verifying all children entering kindergarten have received a blood lead screening. 

For example, over 2000 students were screened for lead at kindergarten enrollment in FY 2023, 80 of whom had a blood lead level at or above the CDC’s Blood Lead Reference Value of 3.5 µg/dL. 

Adding blood lead results to the information provided to school nurses will assist in making referrals for Individualized Education Programs, special education services, nutritional support, and improved health care within the school environment.

Tremendous thanks to Representative Larry Lambert, Senator Kyle Gay and Representative Sherry Dorsey Walker for championing this issue. 

And special thanks to Delaware School Nurse of the Year Donna O’Connor, who has championed this issue for many years, as well as the Delaware School Nurses Association, Delaware State Education Association (DSEA), Delaware Nurses Association, Delaware PTA and the Learning Disabilities Association of Delaware for writing letters of support, testifying and advocating in Legislative Hall for the passage of this bill.

Pa. Department of Health alerts Pennsylvanians about recalled children's toy due to possible lead exposure

Pa. Department of Health alerts Pennsylvanians about recalled children's toy due to possible lead exposure

Dixon Ticonderoga Creativity Street Foam Pattern Rollers were recalled on May 2 because its lead levels exceeded the federal content ban.

Author: Leah Hall

Published: 3:17 PM EDT May 9, 2024

Updated: 3:18 PM EDT May 9, 2024

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Health is warning parents and caregivers of a children's toy recall due to possible lead exposure. 

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of Dixon Ticonderoga Creativity Street Foam Pattern Rollers, typically used for painting by children, because its lead levels exceed the federal content ban. 

“Lead can be harmful if ingested, especially for a young child,” said Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. “Parents and caregivers should not have to worry about their children’s toys making them sick. We want to get the recall message out to help protect and prevent potential harm to children. Product recalls like these are another example of why all children should be routinely screened for lead exposure.”

According to the Pa. Department of Health, approximately 2,880 sets were sold across Amazon, Staples, Walmart and more. The set retailed for approximately $15 and affected sets were bought between September 2023 through January 2024. 

The recall involves Creativity Street Foam Pattern Rollers with model PAC5170, intended for children to use when painting. Lot codes “02142080423” and “02142230523” are included in the recall and are printed on the back of the packaging, as shown below.

Consumers have been advised to immediately stop using the recalled foam pattern rollers and keep them away from children. They should also contact Dixon Ticonderoga to receive a pre-paid label to return the recalled product. When the foam pattern rollers are received, consumers will receive a full refund. The firm or retailer is reportedly contacting all known purchasers directly. 

According to CDC recommendations, all young children should be tested for lead exposure at least once, and when elevated, the tests should be repeated. Early identification of elevated lead levels can prevent the most serious effects so that all children can reach their full potential.

Parents and caregivers of children who may have used these rollers should contact their child’s healthcare provider about getting a blood lead test. 

The Department maintains a toll-free lead information hotline, 1-800-440-LEAD, to provide information about lead poisoning prevention, testing, follow-up, and local resources.

https://www.fox43.com/article/news/health/pa-department-of-health-alerts-pennsylvanians-recalled-childrens-toy-lead-exposure/521-547daecb-7d99-4b69-aab8-332caaf489f2

Red Clay School Nurse Donna O'Connor honored by Governor Carney and Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long

Lead-Free Delaware is excited to see Red Clay School Nurse Donna O'Connor honored by Governor Carney and Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long with a proclamation. Donna O'Connor is Delaware's 2024 School Nurse of the Year and is an amazing lead poisoning prevention advocate for Delaware's children.

New Castle County No-Lead Program

The New Castle County No-Lead Program is doing amazing lead abatement work in New Castle County, DE. Please find their contact info below. 

www.nccde.org/NOLEAD