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Health officials and child-advocates press council to advertise lead-safety ordinance
Summary
Delaware County Health Department and Children 1st urged the council to adopt a lead-safety ordinance, citing high lead exposure risks in Upper Darby’s older housing stock. Council voted to introduce and advertise the ordinance for future consideration.
Public-health officials told the council that Upper Darby has among the highest counts in the county of children with elevated blood-lead levels and urged adoption of a local lead-safety ordinance.
“Lead poisoning remains one of the most prevalent environmental health hazards affecting children,” Shannon Dade of the Delaware County Health Department told the council, stressing testing and prevention programs and noting that homes built before 1978 pose heightened risk.
Rosemary Holt of Children 1st told council members that lead poisoning is preventable and that prevention provides long-term savings: “The tragedy is that lead paint poisoning is totally preventable,” she said, and urged council to act.
After hearing multiple presenters and public comment, councilors voted to introduce and advertise the proposed lead-poisoning prevention and hazard control ordinance so it can be formally considered at a later public hearing.
The ordinance will be advertised and returned at a future meeting for debate and a possible vote. Health-department speakers said county and HUD-funded remediation programs are available to help qualified homeowners, landlords and renters pay for testing and abatement work.
