>>> NEW YORK CITY CONSIDERS IT'S

LEAD POISON PREVENTION PROGRAM

TO BE ONE OF THE BEST IN THE

COUNTRY.

BUT A NEW REPORT FROM WNYC SAYS

THAT MAY NOT BE THE CASE.

ACCORDING TO THE CITY'S

FINDINGS, THE DEPARTMENT OF

HOUSING USES AN OUTDATED

STANDARD FOR MEASURING LEAD IN

CHILDREN'S BLOOD.

SO ULTIMATELY THOUSANDS OF

CHILDREN AT RISK MAY BE

UNACCOUNTED FOR.

AS PART OF OUR ONGOING CHASING

THE DREAM INITIATIVE ON POVERTY

AND OPPORTUNITY IN AMERICA,

TONIGHT WE'LL DISCUSS THE RISKS

WITH THE WOMAN BEHIND THE

REPORT.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

>> NICE TO BE HERE.

>> LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE

NUMBERS OVERALL AND THEN WE'LL

FOCUS ON SOME OF YOUR FINDINGS

AND WHAT THIS MIGHT MEAN.

TALK ABOUT THE CDC AND WHY IT IS

THAT THEIR NUMBERS ARE NOW THEIR

STANDARD, THEIR THRESHOLD IF YOU

WILL HAVE CHANGED?

>> RIGHT, SO THE CDC USED TO

CONSIDER THAT A CHILD'S BLOOD

LEAD LEVEL IS HIGH IF IT'S

ANYWHERE ABOVE 10 MICROGRAMS PER

DEC

DECILITER.

THE PANEL DECIDED THAT, EVEN AT

VERY LOW LEVELS OF EXPOSURE,

THERE'S SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE

DAMAGE FOR KIDS, IT LOWERS THEIR

I.Q., IT LOWERS THEIR ACADEMIC

ACHIEVEMENT AND IT AFFECTS THEIR

BEHAVIORAL ISSUES.

SO AT THAT POINT THE CDC DECIDED

TO LOWER IT TO 5 MICROMICROGRAM

DECILITER.

>> I SUSPECT THE FIRST QUESTION

THAT MANY PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE, IN

LISTENING TO YOU EXPLAIN IT HERE

IS, WELL, IF THE CDC HAS LOWERED

THEIR THRESHOLD, DOESN'T

EVERYBODY?

EVERY STATE, EVERY CITY, DON'T

THEY AUTOMATICALLY HAVE TO LOWER

THEIRS ALSO?

WHAT'S THE ANSWER TO THAT.

>> YES, I HAVE THAT SAME

QUESTION, SO UNFORTUNATELY NO,

THE CDC IS NOT A REGULATORY

AGENCY AND IT CAN'T MAIN DATE

THAT OTHER CITIES OR STATES

FOLLOW THEIR LEAD.

SO THEY CAN'T DO THAT.

THEY CAN SUGGEST THAT EVERY

STATE LOWER THEIR THRESHOLD AND

TAKE MORE ACTION TO ACCOMPLISH

LOWER LEVELS OF EXPEAZEOSURE BU

THEY CAN'T BE FORCED TO DO IT.

>> SO WHAT IS THE STANDARD'S FOR

NEW YORK?

>> NEW YORK CITY CONSIDERS A

CHILD'S LEADS LEVEL HIGH IF IT'S

10 MICROGRAMS PER DECILITER.

SO IF YOU TAKE THE YEAR 2016,

MEASURING BY THE CITY'S

EXPOSURE, ABOUT 1,000 CHILDREN

HAD HIGH LEVELS OF LEAD.

IF YOU GO AT 50 MICROLITERS,

THEN --

>> 5,000 IS THAT GAP FOR 2016,

IN EARLIER YEARS IT'S BEEN AS

HIGH AS 8,000 AND MORE.

SO THESE ARE A LOT OF KIDS THAT

THE CITY'S COUNTING THEM, SEES

THEM AS, YOU KNOW, HAVING SOME

LEVEL OF EXPOSURE, BUT DOESN'T

CONSIDER THEM AT HIGHEST RISK

AND THEREFORE THEY DON'T RESPOND

TO THOSE CASES THE SAME WAY.

>> LET ME ASK YOU TO FOLLOW UP

ON THAT PART.

WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR

YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT BEING

CONSIDERED, OR FALLING WITHIN

THE PARAMETERS OF WHAT NEW YORK

CITY USES BUT WOULD FALL WITHIN

THE PARAMETERS OF THE CDC,

FRANKLY SPEAKING, WHAT DOES THAT

MEAN FOR THEM?

>> WHEN NEW YORK CITY SEES THAT

A CHILD HAS EXCESS LEAD LEVEL

THEY WILL GO INTO THAT CHILD'S

HOME AND FIND THE SOURCE OF THE

LEAD AND GET RID OF IT.

THERE'S NO REAL MEDICAL

TREATMENT AT THESE LEVELS.

BUT IF A CHILD FALLS BELOW THE

CITY'S THRESHOLD, BUT STILL

ABOVE THE CDC THRESHOLD, THEY

DON'T GET THAT HOME VISIT.

PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING AND FINDING

WHAT'S CAUSING THEIR EXPOSURE.

INSTEAD THE CITY SENDS THEM A

LETTER AND THAT FAMILY GET AS

LATER SAYING HERE ARE THE RISKS

OF LEAD EXPOSURE AND HERE ARE

SOME WAYS OF PROTECTION.

>> IS THERE ANY -- EVEN THE

REPORTING THAT YOU HAVE BEEN CAN

DOING?

>> SO, WHAT I WAS TOLD BY THE

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, IS

BASICALLY THEY ONLY HAVE TO

FOLLOW NEW YORK CITY LAWS AND

CITY LAWS LET THEM, YOU KNOW,

LEAVE THIS THRESHOLD WHERE IT

IS, LET THEM DO HOME INSPECTIONS

ONLY ABOVE CERTAIN LEVELS AND I

WAS ALSO TOLD THAT IF THEY

WANTED TO LOWER THE THRESHOLD

AND DO HOME VISITS FOR ANY CHILD

WITH A LEVEL ABOVE 5, THEN THEY

REALLY HAVE TO EXPAND THE

CAPACITY OF THEIR PROGRAM.

>> THAT CERTAINLY SOUNDS LIKE

SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE

LOOKED AT VERY CAREFULLY BY THE

CITY, WE APPRECIATE YOU JOINING

US HERE, THE REPORTING YOU DID

AND SHARING THIS INFORMATION

WITH US.

THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.

YOU BE WELL.

>> THANK YOU.