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The Daily OrangeESF | Getting the lead out
One professor does his part to prevent lead-related poisonings in Syracuse
By Carrie Jordan
Posted: 11/14/07, 12:56 AM EST Section: News
The discovery of lead poisoning in imported toys this summer grasped the nation's attention and alerted parents to a potential danger in their child's toy box.
Although not working directly with toys, David Johnson, an analytical chemistry professor at State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, has been studying lead content in the Syracuse area since 2003.
Johnson, who leads a research team funded by the National Science Foundation, works in cooperation with the Onondaga County Health Department looking at geographic patterns of lead poisoning in the city.
The Onondaga County Health Department screens about 1,000 children for lead poisoning each month, and provides Johnson and his colleagues with blood-lead information for their research. While the team does not receive individuals' identities, they discovered strong spatial patterns in the city and a high percentage of blood-lead distribution in the near west side of Syracuse.
Johnson and his team of researchers are conducting a random survey by going door-to-door asking residents for permission to take samples of the soil from their sidewalk, back yard, front yard and a specific area next to the house, known as the drip line.
So far, the team has collected 3,500 soil samples and 500 dust samples from Syracuse homes.
"We can then estimate the amount of lead on the floor that the children have access to, which is derived from the soil outdoors, separate from lead that may come from interior paints," Johnson said.
Lead poisoning mostly affects children because their neurological pathways are still developing, he said. However, there are no explicit symptoms that match chronic lead poisoning. Its affects, such as behavioral and learning difficulties, do not seem to be reversible, Johnson said.
Although not working directly with toys, David Johnson, an analytical chemistry professor at State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, has been studying lead content in the Syracuse area since 2003.
Johnson, who leads a research team funded by the National Science Foundation, works in cooperation with the Onondaga County Health Department looking at geographic patterns of lead poisoning in the city.
The Onondaga County Health Department screens about 1,000 children for lead poisoning each month, and provides Johnson and his colleagues with blood-lead information for their research. While the team does not receive individuals' identities, they discovered strong spatial patterns in the city and a high percentage of blood-lead distribution in the near west side of Syracuse.
Johnson and his team of researchers are conducting a random survey by going door-to-door asking residents for permission to take samples of the soil from their sidewalk, back yard, front yard and a specific area next to the house, known as the drip line.
So far, the team has collected 3,500 soil samples and 500 dust samples from Syracuse homes.
"We can then estimate the amount of lead on the floor that the children have access to, which is derived from the soil outdoors, separate from lead that may come from interior paints," Johnson said.
Lead poisoning mostly affects children because their neurological pathways are still developing, he said. However, there are no explicit symptoms that match chronic lead poisoning. Its affects, such as behavioral and learning difficulties, do not seem to be reversible, Johnson said.
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