Getting the lead out Successful program that protects Detroit
kids is now in jeopardy Published: March 6, 2013 Lead has been
linked to poor school performance among Detroit children. City
researchers found that children with higher lead levels were
more likely to need special education, and, as blood lead levels
went up, students’ math, reading and writing scores dropped,
according to a 2010 study. Children with blood lead levels as
low as 5 micrograms per deciliter also are more likely to be
arrested later in life, according to a 2008 study by the
University of Cincinnati. Poorer children consistently have
higher levels of lead. But, even controlling for income and
other factors, black children still have blood levels 50 percent
higher than other races, Lanphear said. Research suggests black
children metabolize the metal differently. That magnifies the
problem in places such as Detroit, which is 83 percent black.
Not too long before the CDC adopted a more stringent threshold,
the agency severely cut its lead