HOMEGROWN LEAD PROBLEMS

Recent recalls of toys coated with lead paint have raised concerns about lead poisoning. While the Chinese-made toys could pose a threat, there’s a lead threat locally that is more serious: Maine’s older homes. Still, the state aims to eliminate lead poisoning in children by 2010, a goal that is reachable through public education and testing.

In recent weeks, millions of toys featuring popular characters such as Dora the Explorer and Elmo have been recalled by Mattel Inc., Fisher Price and other companies because they contain lead paint. These incidents, coupled with imports of dog food, seafood, toothpaste and other products contaminated with dangerous chemicals has rightly led to national discussion about how to ensure the quality and safety of products imported into the United States, especially from China, a growing source of low-cost good ranging from toys to juice and spices.

As for lead, most of the dangers are domestic.

According to the Maine Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, 87 percent of the children in the state identified with lead poisoning between 2000 and 2002 lived in homes built before 1950. The most common source of the metal in such homes is lead-based paint. Lead, which can impair mental development and cause other health problems, was routinely added to paint in the first half of the 20th century because it improved pigmentation. Because of health concerns, lead paint for residential use was banned by the federal government in 1978. This helped prevent new applications of the paint, but many older homes still contain lead-based paint.

The same study found that 65 percent of the children lived in homes with recent or ongoing renovations, which likely spread lead paint through the air. Lead can also come from lead pipes and older furniture, toys and dishes coated with lead paint.

The Maine Lead Poisoning Control Act, enacted in 1992, gave the Department of Human Services the authority to monitor lead levels in Maine children and to inspect homes and child care facilities for the presence of lead. The department can order the removal of lead hazards. The state and some communities offer funding for abatement.

Under a law passed last year, manufacturers must pay 25 cents for each gallon of paint sold in Maine. The money goes into a fund to pay for state education and outreach programs.

The good news is that lead poisoning appears to be on the decline. Despite increases in the percentage of Maine children that are screened, the percentage with elevated lead levels has dropped. In 1994, 14 percent of children under the age of 6 who were screened had elevated levels of lead in their blood. By 2002, this had fallen to less than 4 percent.

There is reason to be concerned about lead in imported goods, but ensuring lead exposure is reduced in Maine homes is a higher priority.