DETROIT (AP) — The largest home-demolition program in the country may have inadvertently created a new problem by spreading lead-contaminated dust in Detroit’s hollowed-out neighborhoods.
Health officials are concerned that crushing walls covered with lead paint generates dust that can settle on nearby homes or drift through open windows. Health department teams plan to go door-to-door next week to seek out potential hazards and do in-home testing of children.
Data released last year showed elevated blood lead levels among children living in several areas where the dilapidated structures have been knocked down.
The city has not determined if the demolitions caused the increase, but officials curtailed some of the work until the onset of colder weather, when windows are more likely to be closed and children less likely to be outdoors.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.