Policy Health Issue on Lead Contamination

Benchmark-Policy Brief
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Benchmark-Policy Brief
The American Public Health Association (APHA) site outlines diverse policy issues in the topics and issues sections. One of the public health problems of concern is the elevated levels of lead in the blood of the citizens. This issue closely relates to the past and ongoing environmental contamination of water with lead from industrial wastes and paints. An article exploring the topic related to the issue on the website reveals that this problem affects children and other vulnerable populations from low-income communities around Flint, Michigan (Ruckart et al., 2019). However, this problem is not limited to the local level because it extends to the national level. A study by Sansom et al. (2019) indicates that lead exposure and contamination remain significant health issues for minority and low-socioeconomic families. Sansom et al. (2019) warn that people living in houses constructed before 1978 often belong to these affected groups and face an increased probability of suffering from lead exposure and intake through contaminated water due to their risk settings. As a result, this problem requires attention through policy regulations to compel companies and the government to implement rectification measures and protect these populations.
Problem Statement
Lead contamination is a life-threatening health problem in any population. According to Ruckart et al. (2019), the shift in water supply from the Detroit department, which used Lake Huron’s treated water, to the Flint River exposed the local communities to lead leading to the emergence of a wide array of diseases. The authors indicate that this healthy metal exposes consumers to potent neurotoxins that can trigger biological and development disruptions in children. As a result, this action disproportionately affected children from minority and low-income communities. Sansom et al. (2019) note that although vulnerable populations can become exposed to lead in diverse ways, drinking water remains the most threatening, as demonstrated by the case of Flint, Michigan. Evidence indicates that this source constitutes up to 20% of the overall exposure. Ruckart et al. (2019) further report that children have an elevated susceptibility to lead because statistics indicate their blood lead levels shot to 5.0% from 3.1% soon after the switch. As a result, lead exposure triggers lifelong ramifications from an early age, adversely affecting the victims’ productivity and quality of life.
The primary concern about lead contamination and the associated health complications arises from the fact that a significant proportion of the piping in the nation has lead, especially those installed before 1986. Sansom et al. (2019) indicate that switching from chlorine-based disinfectants due to their cancer-causing properties to chloramine as alternatives in 1998 increased the likelihood of metal leaching into the water. The situation is worse among low-income communities due to the associated environmental injustice-related inequalities that limit them to congested housing, low-quality lead paints, and fumes. The combinati...