Allegheny County lead task force issues recommendations to reduce exposure

Allegheny County's lead task force announced its plans to find a solution to the widespread exposure of residents to the potentially deadly element.

"We certainly can do everything we can to eliminate what we consider to be harmful exposure,” said Dr. Karen Hacker, director of the county health department.

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On Tuesday, the task force announced 24 recommendations.

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Among them: requiring landlords to reduce the amount of lead in paint and water in their rental properties.

The task force also supports the PWSA’s decision to replace public and private lead service lines together.

"Because the goalpost has changed, if you will, we've got to continue,” said county executive Rich Fitzgerald. “While we've made great improvements, there's a lot of work to be done."

Much of the study focused on children and pregnant women, who are at the highest risk from lead exposure.

Some of the recommendations made are already being implemented, but the task force believes education will be key, especially for those families already dealing with lead exposure.

"We do have this big Allegheny County Economic Development grant right now to actually provide free remediation, including new windows and things like that,” Hacker said. “The number of people who have been willing to consider it is far fewer than I would have hoped for."

The county council has already approved adding two more lead inspectors to the health department's team in 2018.

Hacker hopes that, along with mandatory lead testing for children, will help identify problems and keep the community safe.

Cox Media Group