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Demolition of older housing for urban redevelopment purposes benefits communities by removing housing with lead paint and dust hazards and by creating spaces for lead paint-free housing and other community [...]

Lead levels are researched by using floor mat dust collected from houses built before 1950, and in several newly built homes in the Baltimore City, Maryland area. Researchers concluded that more research is needed before it can be known whether floor mats are a reliable way of collecting dust.

Chelation therapy with succimer did not protect children with mild lead poisoning from developmental disabilities, according to a study of 780 children with blood lead levels between 20 and 44 micrograms per deciliter. Chelation therapy uses chemicals that can remove toxic metals from the body.

It has been recognized for decades that lead-based paint causes lead poisoning in children who put paint chips in their mouths; this problem is especially common in poorly maintained buildings in low-income areas. Forty years ago in Baltimore, Maryland, abatement of lead-based paint was mandated in apartments and houses. This achieved a dramatic reduction in the numbers of children suffering severe brain damage and death from lead poisoning. However, over the years it has become clear that blood lead levels previously considered safe are not safe, and cause permanent neurological damage and developmental delays. Even blood lead levels that produce no immediate symptoms can be detrimental, and the maximum acceptable blood lead concentration has been lowered progressively over the years in response to new data. During the 1980s, researchers reported that traditional abatement procedures were not effective in removing lead from the home environment; children who returned to abated buildings after being treated for their lead poisoning often had recurrences of high blood lead levels. Modified abatement practices were devised that involve a thorough cleaning to remove dust and debris from the dwelling and that protect the occupants and contents of the building from the dust. The modified approach does not involve sanding of walls or open-flame burning, but does include repainting of surfaces stripped of lead paint. In this study, 53 dwellings in Baltimore were abated using traditional methods and 18 were abated using the modified approach. Neither method was adequate for protecting children from lead poisoning after they reoccupied the dwellings, although the modified method was somewhat better than the traditional method. Children remained at risk for permanent neurological damage and behavioral deficits, based upon their high blood lead levels. New, more effective abatement techniques are needed. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

ABBREVIATIONS. DMSA, meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid; CPSC, US Consumer Product Safety Commission. The clinical recognition of lead toxicity in children in the United States has changed drastically over the past 50 years. [...]