won’t you be glad when I stop posting news like this?
It starts off really, really well:
Looking to bolster the fight against childhood lead poisoning, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last month approved a tough new rule aimed at clearing the nation’s air of the toxic metal. A key part of the initiative is a new network of monitors that will track lead emissions from factories.
But then… it takes a turn:
But the Bush administration quietly weakened that provision at the last minute by exempting dozens of polluters from scrutiny, federal documents show.
I have to be honest, I don’t even know how to write about this anymore. Scientists determined that even low levels of toxic metals in children lead to learning disabilities, aggression and even criminal behavior. So, they sought to lower acceptable levels in air. I am unclear, because I don’t know where the air is tested, but I imagine outside of factories that use lead in their processes.
The reason this is important is because the lead leaves the air, by falling to the ground and embedding itself in the soil. It stays there for years, while children play and dig and kick up all that contaminated soil and breath it in.
The new levels were about to be put into place and mandated before the Bush Administration stepped in and supported corporations instead of the people.
There is much more information in the article. I recommend reading it. The one thing it states is that it will take many, many months for the “new” EPA, under Obama, to be able to overturn this decision. You can find the article HERE.
HERE’S a link to lead poisoning on Wikipedia
