Lead poisoning among young children, which can cause learning and behavior problems, has decreased so sharply in recent decades that it is tempting to consider it a toxicology problem of the past. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was so confident about the decline in childhood lead poisoning that it set a goal of 2010 for eliminating it. Personal injury cases have decreased in recent years.
But federal health officials now say eradication may still be years away because hazards remain in often poor urban pockets — mostly from old, badly maintained housing with lead-based paint.
If the remaining cases are to be tackled effectively, local laws must be strengthened and enforcement increased, experts say. To read the entire NY Times article: Click Here.
