Oneida County Leads New York In Lead Poisoning Cases

The aftermath of the Flint, Michigan water crises has local communities taking a closer look at lead poising rates in each county.  According to the NYS Department of Health, lead poising is caused by swallowing or breathing in lead, dust, air, water, soil, and in some products made for your home.

Lead can harm a young child's growth, behavior, and ability to learn. Children under six years old are more likely to get lead poisoning than any other age group. Most often, children get lead poisoning from breathing in or swallowing dust from old lead paint that gets on floors and windowsills, hands and toys. Lead can also be passed from mother to baby during pregnancy.

The website states - elevated blood lead levels among children tested before age 6 in 2004-2007 are 281.82% above the state average in Oneida County as shown on the map. The most recent data for NYS dates back to 2014, and WRVO.org reports the findings as:

...about 1.6 percent in each county. It was 2 percent in Herkimer County and 6.7 percent in Oneida County. The problem stems mainly from lead-based paint, according to Oneida County Health Department director Phyllis Ellis. "Upstate New York and these two counties, it’s a lot of old buildings," Ellis said. "And, many of our buildings have been built prior to the 1970s' regulations where we were not allowed to use lead in paint anymore and lead in gas."

The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties launched a $1 million initiative aimed at eliminating childhood lead poisoning in Herkimer and Oneida counties by 2030. According to Lead-Free MV, "in addition to providing the start-up funding, the foundation will serve as a “backbone organization” for Lead-Free MV and coordinate efforts among partner organizations." Lead-Free MV coalition will focus on the elimination of lead hazards in pre-1978 housing, as well as expanding testing and community awareness of the problem. Long-term lead exposure can result in developmental delays, learning difficulties and behavioral issues, with lifelong financial consequences—up to $723,000 per individual exposure. And despite a state law requiring early childhood testing for lead exposure, a third of pre-school children in Herkimer and Oneida Counties have not had the required blood test.

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