Ohio Gets Funding to Fight Lead Poisoning

Who's hungry?! 😜 All jokes about eating paint chips aside, Ohio city leaders have been trying to chip away at childhood lead poisoning for decades. Lead exposure causes a bunch of nasty problems in kids, like low birth weight, behavior issues, and learning disabilities.🙈

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A lack of funding has prevented them from making any real progress, but it looks like that's about to change. Through a brand new program, cities will finally get the funds needed to keep families safe. 💰

Here’s Five Fast Facts on these new developments:

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1. 🚧 Don't Eat The Paint - According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 37 million U.S. homes have lead-based paint in them. 
2. 🏠 This Old House - Those who live in older homes are most at risk for lead poisoning, since they were constructed with lead-based paint and other materials. In Cleveland and Toledo, older housing makes up 87% and 86% of the market.
3. 🚩 Metal Detectors - 5.2% of Ohio kids are lead poisoned, making the state the second highest on the list. This is *way* above the national average of 1.9%.
4. 💲 Lead Free Is The Way To Be - Cleveland recently approved using $17 million from the American Rescue Plan Act funding to fix the lead paint problem. An additional $120 million was raised from public and private partnerships, including $50 million from the Cleveland Clinic. 
5. 👷 Un-Leaded - The money will go to homeowners and landlords working to get their properties lead-free. Funds will also go towards inspector training, lead testing on children, and housing assistance for those who need to move to a new home. 

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🔥Bottom line: People might think lead poisoning is a problem of the past, but apparently it's still alive and well. It seems to be more of a problem in the Midwest, due to the huge economic and population growth in the early 1900s. Let's hope this new funding does more than just kick the (paint) can down the road so more Ohioans stay safe. 

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Ever live in a home with a lead problem? Let us know by connecting with us on Social Media and be sure to share this newsletter with any friends & coworkers!

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