CLEVELAND — In a Friday press release, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb announced that the city will focus on efforts to reduce cases of childhood lead poisonings.
Mayor Bibb cited "risk assessment, abatement and expedited removal of lead hazards" as areas of focus in the release.
“The data in this report from Cleveland Department of Public Health (CDPH) is clear,” said Mayor Bibb. “The percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels has not changed since 2019, when we began to focus on lead safe certification. It’s time for us to urgently reevaluate this program with a focus on preventing poisonings.”
The study Mayor Bibb cited comes from data gathered by the city of Cleveland and released in a recent data brief. The full report can be seen HERE.
According to the study's findings, the level of lead found in the blood of children saw and initial reduction in lead poisoning from 2005 through 2018, but that trend has recently slowed.
The city of Cleveland still has a higher percentage of children with elevated lead levels when compared to other large cities in Ohio and Michigan, including Toledo, Detroit, Akron and Cincinnati.
“The latest reports from the health department highlight the need to transition from interim controls to more permanent and reliable solutions to keep kids safe from the hazards of lead at home,” said Cleveland's Director of Building and Housing Sally Martin O’Toole. “This will be an iterative process, and my team will work closely with landlords to meet them where they are, clarify what is required and work with them on a plan to ensure their units are truly lead safe. We will also engage our partners who are currently working in the inspection and lead abatement space to ensure we are all aligned and working together.”
The city will work with City Council and the Lead Safe Coalition on a "data driven approach" to fix the long-term challenges with removal efforts in Cleveland.
The city anticipates revising the existing lead safe ordinance as part of the new efforts.
“Cleveland saw a dramatic reduction in lead poisoning from 2005 to 2018 but every year, for the last five years, 1,500 kids in Cleveland are still being poisoned,” said Cleveland Director of Public Health Dr. Dave Margolius. “For us to make this a problem of the past, we have to work together with our partners to dedicate the resources to get the lead out once and for all.”
Future information on these efforts will be made available through Cleveland Open Data, according to the release.
