“You know kids, they touch their mouth.”
Nasser Jouhari, the deputy director of the Kansas City Health Department, knows what that could mean for thousands of kids in the city’s older neighborhoods.
“If they get lead contamination, you’re not gonna see the result of that — you're not gonna see the effect of that — until they grow up.”
More than 3,500 homes in Kansas City built before 1940 are at high risk for lead hazards and lead poisoning. A city lead remediation program has been cutting that number down since 1997.
And starting in January 2025, the city will spend $6.4 million to repair about 170 Kansas City homes in low-income and minority neighborhoods, particularly where there are children under six who face the highest risk with prolonged exposure.
Even at low levels, Jouhari said, exposure to lead can hinder children’s brain development and cause behavioral problems and learning difficulties. Lead-poisoned children can have trouble with language processing, memory, attention and impulsivity. Later in life, it raises the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
While the rate of lead poisoning has dropped significantly compared to the mid-20th century, thousands of children in Kansas and Missouri are found with elevated blood lead levels every year.
Kansas City has up to nine times the national average of lead poisoning rates, making the program a critical one, Jouhari said.
Starting in January, homeowners can apply for free repairs if they live on the property. Rental property owners with eligible tenants will cover only 25% of the remediation costs.
Patricia Clark, a home-based childcare provider, had her home renovated in 2017 thanks to the program. She said she wasn't able to afford these sorts of repairs herself.
“I feel very good to have my children under my roof knowing they are free from lead poisoning,” she said in a letter to the city supporting continuation of the program, adding that the renovations are even benefiting her utility bills. “They sealed up holes in my home which has helped keep rodents out of the home. My new windows also gives a great curbside view.”
Noah Olla told the city in 2020 that the need in the community extends beyond the assistance that was offered and accessible.
“Coming to find that the levels of lead throughout my home were well above the tolerated and safe level brought a sense of anxiety as well as feeling incapable of resolving these dangers due to the financial burden that comes with this need,” Olla said.
City officials said the federal grant will also fund training for 100 local contractors and Job Corps students with the goal of boosting Kansas City’s workforce.
The funding is part of a larger package of grants from HUD amounting to more than $420 million in awards across 32 states to remove lead hazards from homes. The announcement of the grants followed a slate of actions by the Biden administration to address lead hazards, including a rule requiring drinking water systems nationwide to replace lead service lines within 10 years.
Estimates as to how many of these pipes remain vary widely. The EPA estimates Missouri has 202,112 remaining lead service lines, while the environmental nonprofit the Natural Resources Defense Council estimates more than 330,000.
In Kansas, the EPA estimates 54,107 lead pipes remain while the NRDC believes there are more than 160,000.
“The paint, the dust, the soil, the water — those are the major exposure roots for young kids,” said Matt Ammon, director of HUD’s, office of lead hazard control and healthy homes. “We are very much interested in input from the community in what their needs are so we can address those through our programs.”
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