News Summary
Cleveland is facing a severe childhood lead poisoning crisis, with approximately 1,500 cases reported annually. Despite initiatives and funding, only a small fraction of affected children live in certified lead-safe properties. Backlogs in lead abatement applications and labor shortages are hindering progress, raising concerns among community advocates for immediate action to protect children from harmful lead exposure.
Cleveland Faces Childhood Lead Poisoning Crisis
Cleveland is grappling with one of the highest rates of childhood lead poisoning in the United States, posing significant health risks to its youngest residents. Approximately 1,500 children in the city are diagnosed with lead poisoning each year, despite efforts to create safer living environments. Sadly, a mere 11 of these children are reported to live in properties designated as lead-safe, highlighting ongoing failures in the city’s mitigation efforts.
Current Initiatives and Challenges
A contractor named Todd Knight, motivated by the city’s initiatives and the personal impact of lead poisoning on his daughter, has focused his work on lead abatement. Notably, around 70% of Knight’s projects are a direct response to cases of children being poisoned by lead. However, the city is experiencing a significant backlog of about 1,000 applications for its lead abatement program, creating hurdles in timely interventions.
In 2019, the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition was established to tackle childhood lead exposure by providing grants to property owners for lead abatement. Despite committing $90 million for this initiative, only $8 million is anticipated to be distributed in the next fiscal year. This slow pace has prompted criticism and concern among advocates and affected families, who are demanding immediate action to protect children’s health.
Certification Process and Lottery of Lead-Safe Housing
To certify homes as lead-safe, the city requires landlords to undergo a three-phase certification process that includes risk assessments, abatement, and clearance testing. In the first five years of operation, the city has managed to certify just 423 housing units as lead-safe, with another 237 expected to be completed this fiscal year, illustrating the enormity of the challenge at hand.
Labor Shortages and Expansion Plans
Labor shortages are significantly obstructing progress in lead abatement efforts, as there are not enough certified contractors available to undertake projects. In response to these challenges, Mayor Justin Bibb revealed a new partnership with Next Generation Construction to manage home-repair programs aimed at removing lead hazards. The city is also seeking to eliminate the cap on grant amounts and increase the number of grant administrators to improve the processing of applications.
Historical Context and Health Risks
Nearly 90% of Cleveland’s homes were built before 1978, the year lead-based paint was banned in the United States. Experts warn that lead exposure can lead to severe health consequences for children, including developmental delays and increased risks of engaging with social services and the juvenile justice system. Despite high levels of federal funding available for lead abatement—over $11.9 million remains unspent—city leaders acknowledge a lack of urgency in utilizing these resources.
Community Response and Advocacy
The continued crisis of lead poisoning in Cleveland has drawn attention to stakeholder failures, particularly regarding the failure of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) to report lead poisoning cases adequately. The city’s current lead-safe certification program has not effectively addressed the growing problem, as stagnant rates of lead exposure persist.
Community advocates stress the need for an immediate reevaluation and acceleration of safety measures to prevent further harm to Cleveland’s children. The ongoing crisis necessitates decisive action to ensure that lead-contaminated windows and doors are replaced, and that children are protected from further exposure to this hazardous element.
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
HERE Resources
Cleveland Faces Childhood Lead Poisoning Crisis
Additional Resources
- Spectrum News: Lead Abatement Cleveland Coalition
- Cleveland.com: Cleveland Bets on New Plan to Fix Homes
- News 5 Cleveland: 1,500 Kids in Cleveland are Being Poisoned a Year
- Cleveland.com: Cleveland’s Must Address Inadequate Steps
- Wikipedia: Lead Poisoning
- News 5 Cleveland: Buried in Hundreds of Years of Lead Paint
- Spectrum News: Cleveland Lead Crisis
- Cleveland.com: What’s Wrong with Us?
- Spectrum News: Cleveland Lead Safe Advisory Board
- Google Search: Lead Poisoning Cleveland
Author: STAFF HERE CLEVELAND WRITER
CLEVELAND STAFF WRITER The CLEVELAND STAFF WRITER represents the seasoned team at HERECleveland.com, your premier source for actionable local news and information in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and beyond, delivering "news you can use" with in-depth coverage of product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news impacting the region—backed by years of expert reporting and robust community input, including local press releases and business updates, while providing top reporting on high-profile events like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions, Cleveland International Film Festival, and holiday parades, alongside key organizations such as the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Orchestra, and Great Lakes Science Center, plus leading businesses in manufacturing and healthcare like Sherwin-Williams and University Hospitals, and as part of the broader HERE network including HEREDayton.com, offering comprehensive, credible insights into Ohio's vibrant landscape. HERE Cleveland HERE Dayton
