Document qdmrz1Znn2wggp444dN44rmDk
^Lead Poisoning Peril
AU624 8/2&J
Camden Starts
Revealed in Camden. By Board of Health
Attack on
tead(folsoiP>
The^'city ..of, Camden'lias
hunched a mufti-pronged at
tack an the lead poison men
ace to children. . The program at .present is
centered in a CD-black area of sonlli Camden but the city eventually hopes to. make de tection and medlctt referral services available to residents throughout Camden!
In the tint two find a half weeks at the proniam, the
1 city made S3Z frame Inspec tions in (he designated area and referred Ml (Mldrew be tween the ages oljl and 8 lor
blood tests; J
Herron, Nardi In Charge Harry" Herron, Stealth coor
dinator for the coy. and Cam
den County, who is directing
the program with Mayor Jo-
srph'M. Nardi jjr., said re
ports on the llttl 70 children tested resulted fin one child
Itring hospitalifcd fnr lead
poisoning. He jiaid IS other
children had significant
amounts of lead in their sys tems and anniher IS lesser
amounts.
|
Reports on the home Inspec
tions, made to! determine the
lead content of paint used In
the dwellings, f are not com
plete, Herrtm said. The area designated for the
pilot studies Is a section being
improved umlfer the federalstate Neighborhood improve
ment Program and Mayor
Nardi said the city would seek
additional funding from' NIP
lor the lead poisoning pro
gram.
Lead-Based Paint Banned
The area is hounded by At lantic ave.. Pine St., Broad way and the Delaware River, and remains a total of 1,85,1
homes. Herron said the project,
when fully Implemented, will include educational programs and law enforcement in addi tion to home inspections and
Wood tests. A recently passed state law
bans the use of lead-based paint and requires landlords cither to remove lead-based paint up to a height of four
Ircl or cover it over with pro tective paneling.
City Makes Tests
Herron said the city now tests for lead content in paint hy making scrapings.
However, starling Monday, he said, the city will have a special appliance, containing
n radioisotope, for lead detec
tion. Medical referrals under (he
pitot project are being han dled hy the city health depart ment station at ZDth and Fed eral sis. In cooperation with Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital,
Cantdrn.
t h e NEW YORK TIMES. SUNDAY,'AUGUST 27,197!
IEW BLOOD TESTS lead-base paint that peel from the walls of old housing. The1
problem Is said to Involve 8
10 HELP CH1LDREB; per cent of the children In such
Icicles as Newark.
*
In addition, the problem
, Simple Method Developed lead poisoning in aduttgrMTeceiving attention toeSuse lead
In Lead Poisoning Drive exists fn so mafflrieverydaysub
tj|r. BfiiANtY Hic k s
stances--gasdfinc, ceramic dinnerwareylu Ink In color pobli-
UHUltontsnmtmi
cation^r
NEWARK, Aug. 26 -- Rc-j Thychlldhood problem has
sarchers at the stale medical!ibteq/S major public health con-
c-h--o--o-l--h-e--r-e.h--a--v-e developed an:!
Severe lead poisoning has
etremely simple method
x known to cause train
Electing minute blood saftimes1 damage and even death. The
> test for childhood lead key to prevention lies in clean*
aisootwg.
>/ Ing up old housing and in find*
TflFtncthod, catted papcr-ln-a-' fog children with elevatedf
ip, involves a pin-prick punc- blood-lead levels before iymp*
ire in the finger from which a toms occur.
'
rap of blood Is blotted up by. For many years testing of
piece of white filter paper. A| children proved difficult be*
no-quatter-inr.ii circular (piece cause blood lead analysis had
f blood-saturated papfr is to be performed on large sam*
unched out with a regular com-, pies of blood taken by hypoder*.
tereial hole puncher, {which mic needle from the vein of the
ives testers a standanLslzed child's ann or neck.
1
ample without having meas- Over the last few years, how , -c the amount of Moodfdrawn. ever. Instrumentation and mate*'
The blood-saturated ifipcr dot rials have been developed that
/then placed in a'tiijy mota! make analysis of small samples;
up and put into the flame of] possible. New York City, for;
atomic absorption | spcctro- example, began testing by using"
botometcr, which can measure a measured amountof blood
lo content of lead or other taken from the finger.
iclals.
British Scientist Cited
The papcr-In-a-cup method,
-as developed by Dr Morris nsclnw ami Dr. John Boden,) otii chemists. Because it obiates the necessity of measure* icnt and detailed preparation]
f samples, it could possibly How cheap and easy door-tooor testing for lead poisoning.'
Mainly Childhood Disease All stteh community screen h r efforts thus far have re tmred the use of trained'
Dr. Josclow said that he had got his idea for collecting samples without measuring
from a British scientist who reported in January that he had taken samples of blood in an
Instrument called a capillary tube, put some drops on a piece of paper, punched (Item out with the tiotc puncher, plated them in the tiny cup and put them Into the flame of the
caivhemcl/ehh.pnniillddiecchlahocpnioolosddlilrseedoctnointsiinennagdgis.boebisltethhpaecrthimoibpcalscoruoiorldysfi(I,scgleporKcIeennt\caittoa<ttrbnlmoUyyp(ipdnh/saiaomtvsettmsioipnnim,ngisgvehtwtthteehh>edree,..
special colchances ot sample are
Dr. Josclow
I By BILL THOMPSON
Of Tfit fw<jnirr SI*//
CAMDEN. - A two week-
. survey by the local health department has revealed a sizable polsoninj problem hi
'`SflMdJ'fclft.
reported Wednes lay Hut S32
homes have bo i visited in the past two wo a bv health
Barkers in sran-l ol(icad poison3& in children from ages 1
to t. {(< "There's evidence that lead
poisoning docs exist," Nardi . said. "It's partdulalry crucial ' in our ghetto neighborhoods."'
HARRY HERMAN, city
health officer, said 7D of 161
1 children have received blood
tests as a result of the survey
and that 15 children were
found to have lead poisoning.
The urea being surveyed -is
bouaded by J'inc st. on the North, Allan lie ave. on the
South, Broad ray on the East
and the Del iware River on
the West. About HO n}fore children are
expected to get blood tests next Friday, [Herman said, as
the survey c minutes in the 65
black area which includes
1,850 homes.
Herman s lid the survey
should be c mpleted by the
end of Oetobc'1
Nardi said he children are
being tested r the health cen
ter at 76th i id Federal sts.
and that a 5 I.IHI0 instrument
to indicate ic d and paint will
be available to the city Mon-
day.
j
WHEN T E instroment in
dicates leac hi paint, Herman said, the k ndiord will be or dered to re nove the paint and replace wi h a paint of less than one p recta lead content.
Herman added that lead poisoning c ses are those chil dren who re found to have' "to microf rams or more of lead" in lb ir blood.
HEALTH WORKERS have been able s gel information about lead poisoning by ask ing parent, if their children have a histt ry of pica.
Nardi said the solution to lead poisoning is slum clear ance and urban renewal.
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