title: Are local laws the key to ending childhood lead poisoning?
abstract: Although lead paint was banned by federal law in 1978, it continues to poison children living in homes built before that time. The lifelong effects of childhood exposure to even small amounts of lead are well established by medical research. Federal and state laws have reduced rates of lead poisoning significantly in the past three decades. However, pockets of high rates of lead poisoning remain, primarily in low-income urban neighborhoods with older housing stock. Recently, several municipalities have passed local lead laws to reduce lead hazards in high-risk areas. There has been no systematic attempt to compare the design and effectiveness of these local policies. To address this gap, we conducted comparative case studies of eight innovative lead laws promulgated since 2000. The laws used a wide variety of legal structures and tools, although certain elements were common. The impact of the policies was intertwined with local housing, economic, and legal environments. While data do not yet exist to systematically evaluate the impact of these laws on lead poisoning rates, our analysis suggests that local laws hold great promise for reducing lead hazards in children's homes.
authors: University of Rochester, USA.
authors: Katrina S
authors: KS
authors: Korfmacher
authors: Michael L
authors: ML
authors: Hanley
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control; D033161:Government Regulation; D006798:Housing / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009111:Local Government; D010150:Paint / Q000506:poisoning; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011634:Public Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
references: Eval Rev. 2010 Jun;34(3):242-66
references: 20479214
references: Health Educ Q. 1987 Winter;14(4):387-401
references: 3319970
references: Am J Public Health. 2004 Jan;94(1):8-9; author reply 9
references: 14713682
references: Environ Health Perspect. 2002 Jul;110(7):721-8
references: 12117650
references: Environ Res. 2007 Oct;105(2):267-75
references: 17559831
references: Environ Health Perspect. 2012 Feb;120(2):309-15
references: 22001644
references: Environ Health Perspect. 2008 Oct;116(10):1285-93
references: 18941567
references: Environ Health Perspect. 2009 Jul;117(7):1162-7
references: 19654928
references: Environ Health Perspect. 2002 Oct;110(10):A599-606
references: 12361941
references: Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Jul;113(7):894-9
references: 16002379
references: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009 Jan 30;58(3):55-8
references: 19177040
references: Am J Public Health. 2001 Apr;91(4):621-4
references: 11291376