Ohio children at risk of lead exposure. State lawmakers cut funding for programs to help

Democratic state Rep. Dontavius Jarrells knows about the dangers of lead poisoning firsthand.

Jarrells, who was born in Cleveland, was exposed to dangerous amounts of lead-based paint as a child. He later needed speech therapy lessons and other supports because of that exposure.

"Unbeknownst to me, I was putting poison in my body," said Jarrells, now a Columbus lawmaker.

That's why Jarrells was devastated when Republican lawmakers dramatically cut lead abatement funding from $7.5 million a year to $250,000 a year and zeroed out the Lead-Safe Home Fund Program, which received $1 million each year.

"To zero out that line item, it is going to be at the expense of families continually being poisoned," Jarrells said. "These children who are poisoned are going to be adults who are poisoned, and that is a travesty."

That money paid to investigate the source of children's lead poisoning, prevent future lead exposure, offset fees for lead abatement workers and educate the public about the dangers of lead poisoning, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

State health director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said the budget cuts will have consequences. "The loss of this funding puts more children in Ohio at risk for health problems related to lead exposure."

Republicans skeptical that programs were run efficiently
But Republicans were skeptical that some of these lead abatement programs were tackling the problem efficiently, said Rep. Brian Stewart, an Ashville Republican who led the House's budget efforts. Millions of federal, state and local dollars have already been spent on addressing lead poisoning, he said.

Republicans instead increased the lead abatement tax credit from $10,000 to $40,000.

"We put money back into the hands of folks doing this work versus continuing to throw money into government line items," Stewart said.

But the tax credit is $10,000 less than what Gov. Mike DeWine had proposed. And Republicans capped the tax incentive at $3 million − down from the current $5 million.

How many Ohio kids are poisoned by lead?
Each year, thousands of Ohio children test positive for elevated blood-lead levels.

In 2024, 4,530 of the 168,487 Ohio children tested for toxic lead had confirmed elevated blood-lead levels, and 1,141 had confirmed lead poisoning, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

The actual number of poisoned children is likely much higher, said Melissa Wervey Arnold, CEO of the Ohio chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. About 40% of children at high risk of lead exposure don't receive the recommended lead testing.

"Lead is still a major pediatric public health threat, and the primary source of lead exposure remains deteriorating lead-based paint in older homes," Vanderhoff said

More than two-thirds of Ohio's housing was built before 1978, when the use of lead-based paint was banned.

Why does Ohio have a lead problem?
Lead exposure poses the biggest problem in states with older homes and older infrastructure. Both are true in Ohio.

Doctors knew as early as 1904 that lead-based paint could harm children, but the United States didn't ban it until 1978. Lead was once used in gasoline, bullets and batteries, according to the state health department.

Most children are exposed to lead by eating or inhaling paint chips and dust, Arnold said.

Ohio also ranks third in the nation for the most lead pipes serving families, with an estimated 745,000 still in use. Cleveland is second only to Chicago for the largest number of lead pipes in the nation, with 235,442 service lines containing lead. Columbus, by comparison, has 27,049, and Youngstown has 24,145, according to a Natural Resources Defense Council review.

"These are old buildings, old homes, old facilities, old utilities, and while I commend what cities have done to begin to remediate, they need help from the state," Jarrells said. "The magnitude of this issue is real."

The United States banned the use of lead piping in public water systems in 1986, but many of America's oldest cities are still replacing lines. Jarrells and Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel, R-New Waterford, have introduced legislation to require public water systems to replace lead pipes within 15 years. That could cost $5 billion.

What are the health effects of lead poisoning?
Lead exposure can lead to damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed development and problems with learning, behavior, hearing and speech, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That can result in lower IQ and underperformance in school.

"Once you've had that exposure, especially as a child, the effects of that are irreversible," Arnold said.

Arnold said Ohio's funding cuts make no sense.

"In Ohio, we have a toxic poison that so many kids have the potential to be exposed to, and yet we're taking away the funding," Arnold said. "It doesn't make logical sense to us why we are doing this."