Thread by @queer_spice

Listen, the lead poisoning researcher in me is about to write a THREAD.

I grew up on a Superfund site.
I knew so many kids with lead poisoning.
I centered my Masters on lead poisoning.

This plan is far beyond anything I could have dreamed from a presidential candidate.

https://twitter.com/JulianCastro/status/1138173049331691520

So here's some points from the plan that I am joyously dancing over, imagining them being put into place.

$5 Billion a Year for 10 years to remediate lead in paint and soil and replace lead pipes:
So often policies don't acknowledge that the BEST way to prevent lead poisoning is to simply get rid of the sources of the lead. This gets right to the root and puts money where it belongs.

Increase funding of the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program by $100M a year:
The current allocated budget is only $17M, and this is funding that is desperately desperately needed!!

Mandate lead risk-assessments and testing for homes and buildings constructed before 1978: Yes Yes Yes Yes. So many people move into homes or buildings that they have no idea are dangerous for children or pregnant people. This will go so far to prevent that from happening.

Remediate lead risks in all government-owned buildings, including public housing & public schools: this is where it gets REALLY EXCITING. There are currently only minimal standards re: lead risks in public schools which poisons so many children. This will protect so many futures.

Implement revisions to regulations like the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR): (this is gonna be multiple LCR related tweets because I have a lot of feelings :

The LCR has undeniably saved a lot of people from lead poisoning but is also woefully woefully insufficient.
-

-For example, for any city with a population over 100,000 only 50 (FIFTY) homes need test water. So Chicago, with a population of 2.76M people? 50 homes. NYC, with an 8.6M population? 50 homes.

And there's no requirement the demographics of those homes be reflective of the city.

- So some areas of cities will have a lot of testing. and some will have nearly none. Which incentivizes testing in areas that the cities know are better updated. There is an incredible piece on this from the Chicago Tribune from @scribeguy

chicagotribune.com/investigations…

SO you get the gist - revising and updating the LCR to reflect evidence-based practices, to eliminate gaps in compliance and update enforcement, is absolutely incredible and crucial not only to the health of cities, but to environmental justice in those same cities.

Okay done rambling over the Lead and Copper rule (my mom sets guidelines for how long I am allowed to talk about the Lead and Copper rule when we talk on the phone.)

Next exciting aspects!!

Allow federal funds to be used for hybrid disasters: This is a huge step forward in treating environmental crises quickly and effectively. This is part of what stymied President Obama's ability to help Flint and to address their crisis.

Provide universal healthcare that includes coverage of lead poisoning interventions INCLUDING covering lead hazard control interventions in homes of children with elevated blood lead levels - this is HUGE and would remove SO MUCH BURDEN from poor families trying to protect kids.

Support families with children who have tested with elevated blood lead levels- this is also huge. So often children are diagnosed, parents are told that there's not really anything to do, and then they're sent home without any options. This would take huge steps to change that.

Center racial and economic justice in the efforts to address this and other environmental policy issues- this is the most important. Environmental injustices overwhelming harm people of color and/or people in poverty. And this plan not only acknowledges that, but addresses it.

Anyway! Thank you Secretary Castro for this absolutely incredible lead poisoning prevention strategy.

I am literally in tears over this incredible plan. This is huge.

https://twitter.com/queer_spice/status/1138542584345665536