“Every time a house is renovated, every time a nail is driven into a wall, there’s going to be dust that comes out of that wall that will ultimately have lead in it.”
New group makes timely debut in fight against lead poisoning
The link between lead poisoning and crime is a mystery that none of the usual hypotheses — such as “get tough” police laws — can explain.
Opinion |
Can new organization make lead safety a priority for New Orleans?
Halloween disappointed me; I didn’t see any kids dressed up as lead-poisoned blood. They missed a real opportunity too, because high blood-lead levels scare me more than witches or zombies.
Opinion |
Where’s the outrage over the city’s lead-poisoning problem?
The arrows point to blood cells damaged by lead poisoning. After witnessing the collective outrage over a belated water advisory, I’ve changed my mind.
Opinion |
If you suspect illegal lead-paint sanding, who ya gonna call?
Deputy Mayor Michelle Thomas and acting Director of the Department of Safety and Permits Pura Bascos addressed a City Council committee to discuss the permitting process for the removal of lead paint, but they didn’t have all the answers. Although a city ordinance was passed in 2001 detailing the proper procedure for the removal of lead paint from the exterior of houses, there seems to be a continuing issue with adherence to the rules.
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Lead-based paint sanding, health concerns to be discussed
It seems everyone with a child in this city has had a wake-up call regarding lead levels. You take your kid for a check-up, they do a lead test and – boom – your world is turned upside down while you try to determine what’s causing the dangerously high numbers.
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To fight violent crime, New Orleans may need to get the lead out
In one of his many fine recent columns on crime, Times-Picayune columnist Jarvis DeBerry wrote (my emphases):
[New Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal] Serpas and his predecessor have both struggled to explain why things are particularly bad here. [Former Superintendent] Warren Riley wondered if there isn’t something in the water.
Opinion |
OPSB updates plan to rid Audubon Charter soils of sky-high lead contamination
In response to parents’ concerns about lead levels as much as 15 times the legal limit, the Orleans Parish School Board has released an updated plan to remediate a temporary site for Audubon Charter School. Dubbed the Eastbank Swing Space, the tract of land between Richard, Orange, Constance and Annunciation streets in the Lower Garden District will be Audubon’s home for two years until the Broadway campus is remodeled.
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State releases long-awaited lead cleanup money, but city takes no action for daycares
After the state took nearly a year and a half to approve a city proposal to remove lead from childcare facilities, the program is stalled with the city, where it’s sat for the past three months. Still, environmentalists are happy that the money is finally free of the state’s tight grips with hopes that work soon can start on cleaning up day-care facilities.
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The toxic numbers game
In my recent article about the slow release of money from the state for a program to address lead contamination across New Orleans, I wrote about arsenic levels in soil that are supposed to trigger a clean-up under state Department of Environmental Quality policy. In a document sent to me from DEQ entitled “Arsenic sampling results explained,” it reads, “In Louisiana, the DEQ residential clean-up level for arsenic is 12 ppm,” or parts per million.