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Saturday 21 July 2018
Home demolitions may create new problem: lead-tainted dust

By COREY WILLIAMS and intelligence, impaired hear-
MIKE HOUSEHOLDER ing and irritability in infants
Associated Press and young children. They
DETROIT (AP) — The nation’s are most often exposed by
largest home-demolition eating paint chips or com-
program, which has torn ing in contact with con-
down more than 14,000 va- taminated dust or soil.
cant houses across Detroit, Living within 400 feet of a
may have inadvertently demolition site increased
created a new problem by the odds of elevated lead
spreading lead-contami- in children 6 years old and
nated dust through some of younger by 20 percent dur-
the city’s many hollowed- ing summer months, the
out neighborhoods. health department study
Health officials are con- found. Demolitions may
cerned that crushing walls be to blame for about 2.4
covered with lead paint percent of cases involving
generates dust that can elevated lead in the blood,
settle on nearby homes according to the study of
or drift through open win- about 50,000 children be-
dows, endangering families tween 2014 and 2016. The
who have stayed long after research did not establish
their neighbors fled during the precise source of the
Detroit’s long decline. In this Thursday, April 19, 2018, photo, an excavator sits at the site of a house demolition in Detroit. lead.
Because the risk of lead Associated Press “We’re not sure if dust is
exposure is especially wor- the increase, but officials lation has plummeted from Detroit is not alone is trying getting into the home next
risome for children, Detroit curtailed some of the work about 1.8 million to 670,000. to safely raze unoccupied door or if children are play-
Health Department teams until the onset of colder As they decayed, the emp- homes. Baltimore has torn ing in it,” Khaldun said.
plan to go door-to-door weather, when windows ty homes became havens down about 2,700 vacant For families in affected ar-
next week in some neigh- are more likely to be closed for squatters, drug users buildings since 2010. De- eas, the city offers educa-
borhoods to seek out po- and children less likely to and criminals. troit’s program is larger and tional materials, home visits
tential hazards and do in- be outdoors. Tamara Rollins lives on the has been awarded more with a nurse and other ser-
home testing of children. The at-risk neighborhoods east side in an area bor- than $250 million from the vices. If lead-based paint
“We’re kind of throwing the include some of the poor- dering one of the five most federal government for or other hazards are found
kitchen sink at it a little bit,” est parts of Detroit, which affected zip codes. When blight elimination. in the homes, officials work
said Health Director Dr. Jo- has one of the highest pov- she moved into her rental Over the past 20 years, with families to get them re-
neigh S. Khaldun. Since the erty levels in the U.S. home, demolition crews the number of Detroit chil- moved, Khaldun said.
problem involves children, Lead paint has long been were rolling through the dren with elevated blood Other cities and states are
“we have to do everything the primary cause of lead neighborhood. lead levels has dropped grappling with similar lead
we can” to ensure the de- poisoning in the city, where Rollins is conflicted. She has by nearly 90 percent, ac- issues. Ohio’s health de-
molition program “is as safe most homes were built well a 3-year-old son who needs cording to the city. But last partment created a list last
as possible.” before 1978, when lead to be protected from lead, year, state health officials year of homes that have
Health department data paint was outlawed. But but being safe from crime released preliminary data serious lead paint prob-
released last year showed the mass demolitions start- trumps that concern. suggesting that the per- lems. The database includ-
elevated blood lead lev- ed only a few years ago. “A lot of stuff happens in centage of children with ed homes and apartments
els among children living A 2014 survey found more vacant houses,” Rollins elevated blood lead levels that were ordered vacated
in several areas where the than 70,000 vacant houses, said while holding her son. increased from 7.5 percent after their owners refused
dilapidated structures have many of them relicts of the “It also makes the prop- in 2015 to 8.8 percent the to clean up lead paint.
been knocked down. The mass exodus from the city erty value go down, and it next year. Children who had lived in
city has not determined that began in the 1950s. makes the neighborhoods Even at low levels, lead ex- the homes tested positive
if the demolitions caused Since then, Detroit’s popu- look bad.” posure can cause reduced for high lead levels.q

Judge: ‘Great progress’ reuniting families split at border

By ELLIOT SPAGAT 364 a day earlier. “not yet known to be eli- reunified by the July 26 when he said he was
Associated Press “I’m just very impressed gible.” deadline. More than 200 having second thoughts
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A fed- with the effort that has Nearly 700 of the ineligible parents have been re- about whether the gov-
eral judge on Friday ap- been made,” U.S. District parents are being vetted. leased into the U.S. and ernment was acting in
plauded Trump adminis- Judge Dana Sabraw said. Another 91 have been parents of an unknown good faith. The govern-
tration efforts to meet a “It really does appear that found to have a “prohibi- number of children have ment submitted a revised
deadline to reunite more great progress has been tive criminal record” or been deported. reunification plan two
than 2,500 children with made.” Hundreds of chil- been deemed ineligible Friday’s hearing was the days later that was well re-
their families after they dren are still awaiting re- by U.S. Immigration and sixth in three weeks and ceived by the judge.
were separated at the unions with their family. Customs and Enforce- two more are scheduled In late June, Sabraw set
border. In a court filing Thursday, ment. next week, a sign of how deadlines of July 10 to re-
Justice Department attor- the administration said Another 136 waived reuni- closely the judge is moni- unify dozens of children
neys said in federal court about 1,600 parents were fication, according to the toring the process. under 5 with their families
in San Diego that 450 believed to be eligible for Justice Department. His praise for the adminis- and July 26 for reunifica-
children 5 and older had reunification and about It appeared unlikely that tration was a sharp turn- tions involving 2,551 chil-
been reunified, up from 900 were not eligible or all the children would be around from last week, dren 5 and older.q