Above 60 is a medical situation, usually involving an ambulance to the hospital. The boy who died had a level of 180, and by the time they were able to diagnose the lead and get the results back, he was too far gone. There was too much brain damage. |
Any lead is not a good idea. |
Enforcing it would be well beyond the resources we have, and it misses the boat for where the vast lead poisoning occurs ? from lead paint in the house. |
In spite of this tragedy, reducing lead poisoning remains one of the most successful public-health interventions of the past 50 years. |
The mean level of lead in children in the late 1970s was 15, something that would trigger an intervention today. By 2003, it was down to 1.6. We still have a ways to go, but we continue to make great progress. |