CLEVELAND — Growing concerns over the effects of lead poisoning on children here in Northeast Ohio have key agencies gathering together to host free lead soil testing in Cleveland's Kinsman neighborhood on Aug. 26.
The SoilSHOP event is being organized by the Concerned Citizens Community Council or CCCC, Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing or CLASH and the U.S. EPA.
CCCC Executive Director Anita Gardner told News 5 that soil testing is a crucial link in trying to solve the lead poisoning issue in children, but said young children, especially in inner-city neighborhoods, must also be regularly tested.
“You get to sample where you live, where your child plays, where you walk," Gardner said. "But I also want to see actual buses coming up here testing, you know, where the kids are, test them, we need to know, parents need to know.”
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Clash Education and Outreach Leader Erika Jarvis told News 5 she was diagnosed with severe lead poisoning at the age of four, and it led to serious health and behavioral issues.
"My lead level was so high, my sister and I, we had to be hospitalized," Jarvis said. "We started exhibiting extreme behaviors; we’re not talking about temper tantrums, extreme behavioral issues.”
Jarvis cited studies that are now working to confirm the link between childhood lead poisoning and the increased risk of criminal activity later in adulthood.
“Lead is public enemy number one; we have to do something about it quickly; even the crime in our neighborhoods, you can see the perpetrators are getting younger and younger and younger,” Jarvis said. “I’ve advocated that every Cleveland public school should be testing incoming kindergartners and first graders for lead so they aren’t misdiagnosed with autism or attention deficit disorder.”
Clash Information Director Spencer Wells told News 5 lead in soil is a major contributor to lead poisoning in children.
“Children get exposed to lead from bare soil that’s been contaminated either by leaded gasoline years ago or from paint chipping and peeling off of a structure," Wells said. “The other way we see it is industrial exposure; it goes up in the air, but it always comes down and lands somewhere. It can blow in; it can walk in on your shoes; your kids are always putting things in their mouths.”
Wells said the free soil testing will take place at CCCC headquarters at 13611 Kinsman Road on Saturday, Aug. 26, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Test results take less than 5 minutes, and residents are instructed to collect 1 to 2 cups of soil and place the sample in a labeled one-quarter Ziplock plastic bag. For a garden site, collect soil from the surface down to 6-8 inches deep; for a play area, collect all soil from the surface down to 1-2 inches deep.
“The EPA folks just run an XRF machine over the bag, and they can tell from the x-rays what the level of lead is," Wells said. “If it’s an elevated level, the EPA folks will sit down with the person that brings the sample and give them recommendations on how people can protect themselves."
Wells said all test results will remain confidential. More information on Cleveland SoilShop testing events can be found on the Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing web page.
