HB724

With lead poisoning in children at record levels in the state, any bill that improves detection and prevention helps children, their families, and the society at large. Please support HB724.

I support this bill as a registered nurse and pediatric nursing instructor.

This bill should better protect citizens, especially children, against lead poisoning by lowering the childhood blood lead action level from 5 micrograms/deciliter to 3.5 micrograms/deciliter. It may sound trite, but children are our future, and New Hampshire needs to protect them.

Good morning, I am writing in support ofHB724 relative to lead paint poisoning prevention and remediation. As a Registered Nurse I am well aware of the health risks posed by lead exposure. With the recent findings that NH lead poisoning rates are on the rise, the high number of older homes throughout NH and the potential health implications of such exposure it is more important than ever to invest in remediation and detection efforts. Failure to follow through on initiatives such as these can lead to a variety of health problems in the future that could further strain both our educational and healthcare system within the state.

This bill will help protect our children from lead poisoning and therefore it has my full support.

We must continue to remove lead to avoid ongoing high levels of lead especially in children. This does require abatement and support to assure compliance.

There are far too many homes with lead paint, varnishes, piping etc, in them still. Mine "Built in 1847" is definitely one of them. Its difficult to know what has lead in it too and testing can remediation can become impossible for some individuals such as my self who are disabled to get removed from their homes.

As a teacher, I encountered a young girl who suffered extreme intellectual difficulties because of lead exposure. Lowering the threshhold will help identify more young people in danger of lead poisoning.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this important bill. I strongly support this effort, recognizing the undeniable reality that housing built before 1978 is at risk of lead contamination, which poses a significant threat to the health and well-being of young children. The long-term, irreversible damage caused by lead poisoning is well-documented, and we must act to prevent it before it occurs. Given that a substantial portion of housing in our community is older than 1978, it is critical that we adopt a presumption that these homes are impacted by lead. I urge lawmakers to consider not only the need for remediation but also the importance of supporting property owners in making proactive, lasting changes through regular maintenance and updates. This could be achieved through incentives or resources that encourage the safe removal of lead hazards and promote the upkeep of healthy living conditions. For homebuyers, especially those with children, it is crucial to provide full transparency at the point of purchase, including certification of lead remediation or disclosure of potential lead risks. Similarly, rental properties should be required to address lead hazards as a public health priority. Proactive, preventative measures are far more effective than waiting for a child to test positive for lead exposure. I believe that the state's role should include ensuring full disclosure of lead risks for homebuyers and renters, along with supports for property owners and landlords to actively remediate lead hazards and maintain safe environments for all residents. By doing so, we can help ensure better health outcomes for future generations.

Hello members of the House Health and Human Services Committee, My name is Dr. Christine Arsnow. I am a pediatrician and vice president of the NH chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. This testimony is on behalf of the NH chapter of the AAP. I am writing to urge you to support HB 724 AN ACT relative to lead paint poisoning prevention and remediation. Lead poisoning is a preventable cause of brain damage. Lead poisoning can cause developmental delays, slowed growth, damage to brain and nervous system, and learning and behavior problems. Alarmingly, rates of lead poisoning have been rising in New Hampshire since 2019. Lead screening in NH in 2023 showed 1,142 one and two years old with lead poisoning, a 42% increase from the year before. We know how to prevent lead poisoning but it requires evaluation of properties for the presence of this harmful chemical. NH has old housing stock- over half of the homes in NH were built before 1978 when use of lead paint was widespread. In some lower income communities, more than 70% of homes were built prior to 1978. This bill requires homes under construction or those being leased or rented to be evaluated for this harmful chemical. Early detection of lead in a home allows the state to intervene and prevent children from being poisoned. I have had several children in my practice whose testing came back positive for lead poisoning. One child comes to mind who had lead poisoning noted at her one year checkup that turned out to be from lead paint dust in a rented apartment. Her parents had to battle with the landlord to renovate the apartment and make it safe. She experienced a speech delay that may have been related to her lead poisoning. It is imperative that we continue to protect New Hampshire children from lead poisoning. Please support HB 724.

Obviously we must continue to screen for lead in children. Many old water system pipes and fixtures have high lead content. So do our many old houses. New Hampshire is an old state--children are young, and need protection from lead in their homes. Testing is critical, and that is why I support this bill.

The New Hampshire Nurses Association supports passage of HB724 Which will protect children's health in NH. Carlene Ferrier Executive Director, NHNA

Supporting the health and safety of our children.

I am a former State Representative from Portsmouth and a former member of this committee. I am also a retired public health official who spent more than 30 years doing public health at the federal, state and local level including Asst. Director of Public Health and Chief of Communicable Disease Epidemiology for the NH Division of Public health Services, Deputy Health Officer and Chief of Environmental Health for the Manchester Health Dept., a retired Air Force/NHANG Public Health Officer and the Director of Health for a 10-town District Health Dept. in Connecticut. Over my more than 30 years of public health I have had extensive involvement in the serious problem of childhood lead poisoning. Unfortunately, despite years of effort to institute common sense primary prevention of lead poisoning we are still waiting for children and having their brains permanently damaged before taking action. The most devastating consequential event in my career was leading the investigation of the death of a 2-year-old child in Manchester as a result of lead poisoning in 2000. This child, having arrived as a refugee, was placed in a home with serious lead hazards. Within 2 months she suffered acute lead poisoning as a result of ingesting lead paint with a lead content of over 35% by weight. Her blood lead level was 391 micrograms per deciliter. Yet even with a death almost 25 years ago we are still refusing to properly prevent and manage this ongoing epidemic. In fact, a recent state report stated that in 2023 1,142 children were reported to be lead poisoned in NH. The highest number ever reported. Even as horrific as that number is, it is still an undercount, since many children are not getting tested for lead poisoning even though NH law requires every 1- and 2-year-old to be tested. It is long past time for NH to start treating lead poisoning like every other disease, by focusing first on prevention. A number of years ago when NH noticed that loons were dying of lead poisoning as a result of ingesting lead fishing tackle, the Legislature acted quickly to ban the use of lead fishing tackle in fresh water. This was the right thing to do. If we can do this for loons, why can't we take similar aggressive action n to prevent lead poisoning in our precious children? Not only are the human health costs of lead poisoning enormous, so are the economic and social costs. A 1991 CDC report concluded that if all U.S. pre-1950 housing of which 80% contain lead paint were abated the cost savings over the cost of the abatements over 20 years would have been over $28 billion. We have been kicking this can down the road for more than 50 years while children continue to become poisoned. As Einstein said, "Continuing to do the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity." Although the symptoms of lead poisoning are silent, reasonable leaders and child advocates cannot continue to remain silent about what needs to be done to finally end this epidemic. We know how to do it, we just need to political will and concern for our children's future to do so. NH has the opportunity to make history by putting in place a system to end this scourge. While we cannot undo the harm caused by our past failures to address this problem, we can act now and celebrate a commitment to a future of children free from lead poisoning.

Two of my young grandchildren have tested positive for lead. This is a serious problem, with a very real solution. Please act to make housing safer for our New Hampshire children, and to recognize that even low concentrations of lead are harmful. Ellen Farnum

Keeping our children healthy should be a priority. Acceptable Lead levels in children should always be as low as we possibly get them. If you don't vote for this, you are morally bankrupt.

No one can live on $7.25 an hour even if they work two jobs. We need to ensure people are paid a living wage.

If we are a country that believes in protecting our children, this bill makes sense. Please vote to approve.

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Position recorded without written comment.