Letter to Senator Elizabeth Warren

I write this letter with a heavy heart to ask you to support the legislation barring landlords from renting old houses in Massachusetts that contain lead in the walls and old metal pipes. Massachusetts is renowned for its historic charm but what is lurking in its beautiful old homes is lead that was once the best and long-lasting paint for residential homes. According to Massachusetts Department of Public Health (2016), Massachusetts has approximately 71 percent of housing built before 1978 and is ranked the fourth state in the United States with the oldest housing stock. Madam Senator, despite the lead ban in 1978, many residential homes and buildings in Massachusetts still have this lethal compound. As a resident of Boston, Massachusetts, I am sad about the existence of lead in these houses, yet the regulations are clear that such homes should be deleaded or kept intact, inspected and declared lead-free.

I need you to know that there are landlords that own old houses and rent them to people despite their full knowledge of the presence of lead on the walls and old pipes that convey water to these houses. My request is for a law that compels these landlords to have a certificate of inspection from a licensed deleader that shows that such a house is lead-free. This law should also mandate the landlords to replace old metal pipes with approved materials such chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) pipes that are safe for water systems. This will lessen the lead exposure to the children who live in these houses.

The reason why I am asking you to support legislation on lead poisoning is that despite the substantial gains in the mitigation of harmful lead effects, it remains a health risk for children in Massachusetts. Lead is hazardous to children below the age of six because they absorb lead faster than adults through the lungs and into their blood and stored in internal organs and bones. Madam Senator, exposure to lead is harmful because even low exposure levels cause severe and irreversible health effects as well as the mental and physical development of children.

I am concerned about these old homes with lead painting and plumbing because the release of lead dust is triggered by peeling and chipping of paints, home renovation projects that disrupt lead paint, and the friction of window sashes, stairs, and floors. Children below six years are likely to ingest loose lead paint because they are engaged in mouth-to-mouth activities. Also, lead dust from paintings and old pipes cling to toys that children put in their mouths. Through these means, toxic lead accumulates in the blood system of the children (Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, 2011).

I do want to ask you Madam Senator to fight for the children exposed to lead in Massachusetts by asking the landlords to restrain people from moving into apartments possibly exposed to lead. These homes have old metal pipes that connect water from the main water pipe to the house. When water stays in these pipes for an extended period, lead leaches into the house water supply system and used for cooking and drinking. Old fixtures or solder used to connect these pipes have undergone corrosion, and lead finds itself into house water system.

The effects of lead are severe both to children and expectant mothers. According to Lichtfouse, Schwarzbauer and Robert (2014), acute lead exposure to children can cause convulsions, coma, and death while exposure to low levels results in the deterioration of the central nervous and hematopoietic systems as well as damage to the kidneys. Madam Senator, children exposed to lead have developed learning and reading problems, reduced attention and impaired hearing as well as fetus poisoning in pregnant women because it can penetrate the placental barrier leading to difficulties during pregnancy. Please Senator Warren, fight for our children and protect them from unscrupulous landlords who are killing our future generation.

Sincerely,

(Name)

References

Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry. (2011, March 03). Toxic Substances Portal. Retrieved from https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/substances/toxsubstance.asp?toxid=22

Lichtfouse, E., Schwarzbauer, J., & Robert, D. (Eds.). (2014). Pollutant diseases, remediation and recycling (Vol. 4). Springer Science & Business Media.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health (2016, June). Childhood Lead Exposure Data Brief. Retrieved from http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/environmental/lead/lead-data-brief-June-2016.pdf.