This may well be among the biggest moments in the fight to eliminate lead poisoning in Michigan.
All toddlers across the state could soon be routinely tested for lead poisoning during their visits to the doctor. Legislation in the Michigan Senate would make this happen, and it has the support of Democrats and Republicans alike. If it were to become law, we could give potentially thousands of children the treatment they need, and we could find and remove lead in old homes from the Upper Peninsula to Metro Detroit.
Universal testing could be the most transformational action we have taken against lead poisoning since lead paint was banned 50 years ago. It is critical lawmakers know their actions could help children live without healthily, excel in school, mature socially, and become successful adults.
That makes the 13th Annual Lead Education Day all the more important. It is our chance to let lawmakers know lead poisoning is still a problem for Michiganders statewide, it is entirely preventable, and that there are solutions to this problem right before them.
Lead Education Day is hosted by the Michigan Alliance for Lead Safe Homes, or MIALSH. The Michigan Environmental Council is its co-creator, funder and organizer.
MIALSH is made up of physicians, nurses, housing professionals, environmental and health experts and, most crucially, everyday Michigan advocates, some of whom have witnessed their children, grandchildren, and relatives become poised by lead in their own homes. We've helped secure millions of dollars toward lead poisoning prevention efforts, but univeral lead testing has long been our top priority.
Together, we can help make lead poisoning history, not a heartbreaking reality.
