OAKLAND — Children in many parts of Oakland are among the most at-risk in the state of being poisoned by lead, even though the hazardous metal component was outlawed decades ago, a new study has found.
The “racial equity impact analysis” concludes Oakland is Alameda County’s epicenter of lead contamination, with Latino and Black residents heavily affected.
“The findings of this analysis and the recommendations to reduce racial disparities in lead poisonings signal major changes in how lead abatement work needs to be done in Alameda County,” said Darlene Flynn, director of Oakland’s Department of Race and Equity, which commissioned the study by the Environmental/Justice Solutions firm.
“This means using data to prioritize abatement, testing, outreach, and education activities in high-risk areas, and serving the populations most likely to live in high-risk dwellings,” she added.
The study reviewed State Department of Public Health data that showed 53% of the 1,589 lead-poisoned kids in Alameda County between 2013 and 2018 were from Oakland.
And of the 116 census tracts in the county identified as posing lead risks above the statewide 75th percentile, the 22 tracts “burdened” the most were all in Oakland. Those accounted for the top 5% of census tracts statewide considered at highest risk.
The tracts are in the San Antonio, Fruitvale and East Oakland neighborhoods, whose residents are predominantly Black, Latino and Asian.
Other impacted areas identified by the analysis include neighborhoods in Hayward and unincorporated parts of the county.
The areas most at risk have a “confluence of low household incomes, older rental properties, substandard housing conditions, concentrations of older housing, and a high percentage of low-income families with children under the age of six,” the study concludes.
The analysis was conducted while Oakland and Alameda County were squabbling over how to divvy up $24 million they received as part of a legal settlement with lead paint manufacturers.
In 2001, Oakland and Alameda County joined the counties of Santa Clara, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Mateo, San Francisco, Ventura and Solano as well as the city of San Diego, in suing paint companies Sherwin-Williams, ConAgra Grocery Products and NL Industries, Inc. for selling products they marketed as safe despite knowing the health risks of lead.
Because lead is resistant to corrosion and water damage, it was a popular component of paint and pipes decades ago. But lead is also toxic and people who breathe it — such as through paint chips — can suffer over time from impaired nervous systems or a slew of other medical conditions. The federal government did not ban the use of lead paint until 1978.
Health experts say there is no “safe” level of lead. Even small amounts in young children or babies can hamper normal development and result in brain damage, learning disabilities, and speech and language deficiencies, among other issues.
The lawsuit against the paint companies led to a $305 million settlement in 2019, of which $24 million went jointly to Oakland and Alameda County to spend on either trying to abate the lead risks or educating people about lead poisoning.
Until this month, however, the two could not agree on how to split the money. They finally settled on a 60% cut for the city and 40% for the county.
With the $9.6 million it will immediately get, the county intends “to enhance and expand existing services for lead poisoning prevention” and “to reduce childhood lead exposure and assist families with lead-exposed children,” according to a memo the county’s Community Development Agency sent to the Board of Supervisors earlier this month.
But the city will only get 20% of its share for now as it continues to work out how to implement a plan to fix its lead problem.
An earlier city analysis that found lead poisoning hits certain neighborhoods hardest recommended proactively inspecting rental properties, certifying lead-safe child care facilities, collecting and maintaining databases of known lead hazards and what’s being done about them, and raising community awareness about the hazards of lead.
City leaders have promised to implement those recommendations by launching an ambitious new program that would send inspectors out to search for lead instead of just responding to complaints.
The city and county have also agreed to later decide whether the remaining settlement funds should be used for that program or an extension of the county’s lead prevention efforts to Oakland.
In a statement that accompanied the study’s release, Assistant City Administrator LaTonda Simmons said Oakland “is deeply committed to ensuring that these settlement funds are focused on addressing the needs of those most deeply affected by lead contamination.”