November 21, 2016
HORNELL, NY – Monday evenings Hornell Common Council meeting opened up with a presentation by Karen Travis of the Steuben County Health Services on possible lead contamination in older homes from lead based paints and our drinking water.
Also recently it was discovered that Arkport Central School had six water sources that tested on the high side for lead contamination. “In our community we have a large number of homes over 100 years old,” explained Hornell Mayor Shawn Hogan, “And with this bring the possibility of lead poisoning through lead based paints and galvanized pipes used in construction decades ago.”
Fortunately, as Travis explains, there are things we can do to prevent and detect lead poisoning. “There is a mandate that all children ages one and two be tested for lead poisoning in their routine doctor’s visit,” said Travis, “But unfortunately only 33.5% of residents in our area have it done.” Testing for lead in children is now as easy as just a poke in the finger with a machine called a LeadCare II. It provides results in three minutes from just two drops of blood, enabling providers, parents, and communities to act without delays if levels exceed a certain range.
You can see Travis’s entire presentation below.
