HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH)– (WTNH) — Recent concerns about lead poisoning are behind a new campaign to better protect kids in Connecticut. Concern has been especially high after the crisis in Flint, Michigan. The state Department of Public Health is now working to educate families with a new media campaign.
Many people believe lead is present in pipes and in water, but that’s really not the case in Connecticut. Instead you’re more likely to find lead in paint, typically in older homes.
Vanessa Torres-Diaz and her family have lived in their apartment in Hartford for three years. She didn’t know much about lead, but she knew that something wasn’t right.
“I was going to the hospital all the time,” she said. “My kids used to get sick. I was worried.”
She found out two of her kids – now one and two years old – were suffering from lead poisoning. She was shocked.
“I was like how come? The apartment is always clean. I’m always cleaning all the time,” said Torres-Diaz.
Something as simple as opening a window or door covered with lead paint can send lead particles into the air. But it turns out, the lead was outside of Torres-Diaz’s apartment, in the paint on the front and back porches.
Torres-Diaz is not alone. The state Department of Public Health has now launched two media campaigns, which aim to reach Latino and African American families. There are TV, radio and social media ads, print ads and billboards.
“We do know why there’s a health disparity with these populations,” said Department of Public Health Epidemiologist Christine Hahn. “It really is a housing issue as much as it is a public health issue.”
Latino and African American kids are nearly twice as likely as White children to suffer from lead poisoning. Lead is typically found in the paint in and outside of houses built before 1978. The DPH is especially focused on trying to reach families living in cities.
“Especially in the larger cities in the state – Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford, Waterbury – there’s a high concentration of these houses,” said Hahn.
Torres-Diaz is now planning on moving. Her goal is to find a place with no lead. But for now she’s keeping a close eye on her kids and their health.
“Right now my kids are not going outside,” she said. “I have to have my kids stay inside. If they want to go play I have to bring them to the public parks.”
Kids under age 6 are most at risk, since their brains are still developing. The good news is that with the right education and precautions, lead poisoning is 100% preventable.
