Recommendations to Governor Frank O'Bannon by IKE's Lead Poisoning Prevention Task Force

Finalized on April 26, 2000

Reasons to Make Lead a Priority

While these recommendations may seem costly to implement, please keep in mind that:

• Each one ug/dL increase in blood lead level reduces the lifetime earnings potential of a one-year-old child by $2,367 (a 10 ug/dL increase represents a loss of $23,670);
• Public schools, especially urban schools, bear a significant burden from lead poisoning to teach children with reduced attention spans, more behavioral problems, and violent tendencies as a result of lead poisoning;
• State and local government bear an additional burden to prosecute and incarcerate adults who had lead poisoning as children;
• The federal government already has set a goal of eradicating childhood lead poisoning by 2010; and
• There is no clear safe level of exposure – lead poisoning can occur at 10 ug/dL.