Lead Poisoning

Once parents have finished vetting toys for the holiday season, they should take at least one more precaution to safeguard their children from exposure to lead: Remove their shoes. The lead in toys amounts to a mere speck compared with the tons of dust spoiling the environment because of lead-based paints and leaded gasoline of generations past. Merely leaving your shoes at the door can notably reduce the risk of exposure, because tracking in the substance remains a surprisingly common route of contamination even today.

Amy Hough stopped by the Owings Mills Toys "R" Us store yesterday, but she avoided a line of playthings that her 2-year-old daughter Samantha loves. "I kind of bypassed the Dora aisle," Hough said, "even though it's her favorite." The 34-year-old mother was among the wave of concerned parents searching for help in responding to news of a huge toy recall that warned them that they might need to ditch Dora the Explorer and give Big Bird the boot - and left consumers wondering whether other dangers lurk in their children's toy boxes.

With the ink barely dry on last year's $246 billion tobacco settlement, some lawyers involved in that litigation are setting their sights on a new target: the manufacturers of lead pigment used in paint that has blighted the lives of poor, urban children for decades.The South Carolina law firm that played a crucial role in forging the states' tobacco settlement has urged the attorneys general to launch a similar legal campaign against the lead industry and is assisting in a private lawsuit against the pigment makers.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County has received $2.3 million in federal money as part of a national Department of Housing and Urban Development program to reduce lead poisoning among children in Baltimore City.The grant was awarded to the Community Lead Education and Reduction Corps [CLEARCorps] at UMBC's Shriver Center. It is part of an $80 million HUD program to attack lead poisoning nationwide. The problem is considered the greatest environmental threat to children, especially those living in older, economically depressed areas.

Two lawsuits charging paint manufacturers with conspiring to conceal the hazards of lead poisoning -- filed last month in Baltimore Circuit Court by attorney Peter G. Angelos -- have been moved to federal court at the request of the defendants.Attorneys for Atlantic Richfield Co., one of several companies being sued by Angelos' firm, filed a "notice of removal" Friday to have the cases moved to U.S. District Court in Baltimore. In their filings, the ARCO attorneys cite "diversity" of residency between the parties, saying the plaintiffs lived in Maryland but the defendant companies were incorporated and had their principal place of business in other states.

Emanuel Kaplan, who was called one of the "Heroes of Public Health" for his efforts to focus national attention on lead poisoning in children and other biochemical and infectious diseases, died Monday of heart failure at his Pikesville residence. He was 89.Dr. Kaplan became intrigued by the high incidence of lead poisoning in children in Baltimore after he joined the city Health Department in 1934.After studying the new dithizone technique for detecting blood lead that was developed by Dupont Chemical Co. and German chemists, the Health Department, under his direction, began a free diagnostic program that assessed the lead levels of anyone suspected of having the disease.

When a routine blood test in 1995 showed that 2-year-old Reggie Smith was suffering from severe lead poisoning, his mother, Renee Kennedy, was astonished. The family's rented East Baltimore rowhouse had peeling paint and holes in the drywall. But Reggie seemed to be an active, healthy toddler."He had no symptoms," said Kennedy, 26, a single mother of three who works as a private-duty nurse. "But they said another week in that house and it could have been life-threatening."One month in intensive care and another five months in three hospitals saved Reggie from mortal danger.

Special education fair scheduled for tonight at Loch Raven HighTOWSON -- A special education resource fair will be held from 7 to 9 tonight at Loch Raven High School.Representatives from parent support groups, community agencies and the county school system's department of special education will be available to talk to parents of children with special needs from birth to age 21.The fair -- sponsored by the Resource Center for Families and Schools -- will feature more than 60 exhibits. Information: 410-887- 5443.

The second of two lawsuits charging paint manufacturers with conspiring to conceal the hazards of lead poisoning has been ordered by a federal judge to be sent back from federal court to state court.Attorneys for the manufacturers filed a "notice of removal" last month to move the lawsuits -- filed by attorney Peter G. Angelos in Baltimore Circuit Court -- to federal court, arguing that the plaintiffs lived in Maryland but the defendants were incorporated in other states.This month, U.S. District Judge Frederic N. Smalkin rejected that reasoning, sending one lawsuit -- seeking $15 million in damages for each of six children with lead poisoning -- back to state court.

On a North Baltimore playground, the hobbyhorses' brightly colored coats reflect a new age: For the first time, the area is free of lead paint."A lot of people slow and admire them," said Wallace McGinniss, whose rowhouse affords a good view of the horses, jungle gyms shaped like a train and a snail, the new swing set and a hopscotch board. "They're talking about the horses catching their eyes."The AmeriCorps project to eliminate lead paint at Briscoe Playground in the 1500 block of Abbotston St. was the idea of Tarik Keene-El, 21, a West Baltimorean who signed up for President Clinton's national service program.

Police probe Lothian crash Anne Arundel County police believe speed and alcohol were factors in a traffic accident early Tuesday that left a Clinton man seriously injured, according to a spokesman for the department. Robert Francis Burdette, 74, was driving a 1995 Ford Ranger pickup south on Route 4 near Plummer Lane in Lothian when it was struck from behind about 2:30 a.m. by a Chevrolet Malibu driven by Sean Kevin Fitzgibbon, 27, of Friendship, said spokesman Justin Mulcahy. The pickup went off the road and hit a tree head-on, according to police.

Lead certificate requirement The Anne Arundel County Department of Health reminds parents that all children newly enrolled in county pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade are required to have a lead testing certificate. The certificate ensures that children living in high-risk areas are being tested for lead poisoning, which can cause young children to have difficulty learning, behavioral problems and developmental disabilities. High-risk ZIP codes in Anne Arundel are 20711, 20714, 20764, 20779, 21060, 21061, 21225, 21226, and 21402, because they have a greater proportion of older homes that may contain lead paint.

Lead certificate requirement The Anne Arundel County Department of Health reminds parents that all children newly enrolled in county pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade are required to have a lead testing certificate. The certificate ensures that children living in high-risk areas are being tested for lead poisoning, which can cause young children to have difficulty learning, behavioral problems and developmental disabilities. High-risk ZIP codes in Anne Arundel are 20711, 20714, 20764, 20779, 21060, 21061, 21225, 21226, and 21402, because they have a greater proportion of older homes that may contain lead paint.

Lead certificate requirement The Anne Arundel County Department of Health reminds parents that all children newly enrolled in county pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade are required to have a lead testing certificate. The certificate ensures that children living in high-risk areas are being tested for lead poisoning, which can cause young children to have difficulty learning, behavioral problems and developmental disabilities. High-risk ZIP codes in Anne Arundel are 20711, 20714, 20764, 20779, 21060, 21061, 21225, 21226, and 21402, because they have a greater proportion of older homes that may contain lead paint.

Lead certificate requirement The Anne Arundel County Department of Health reminds parents that all children newly enrolled in county pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade are required to have a lead testing certificate. The certificate ensures that children living in high-risk areas are being tested for lead poisoning, which can cause young children to have difficulty learning, behavioral problems and developmental disabilities. High-risk ZIP codes in Anne Arundel are 20711, 20714, 20764, 20779, 21060, 21061, 21225, 21226, and 21402, because they have a greater proportion of older homes that may contain lead paint.

Family activities Annapolis Recreation and Parks Department offers activities for children and families at the recreation center, 9 St. Mary's St. Summer camp registration is being taken. Day camps, kids' camps and an Xtreme Teen Camp are available. For details on programs and registration, go to annapolis.gov/recreation, or call 410-263-7958. Lead awareness The city of Annapolis will hold Lead Safe Practice Training sessions for residents and contractors to help reduce the risk of lead contamination, especially to children.

Environment for kids Annapolis Recreation and Parks is offering environmental educational programs at Back Creek Nature Park at 1314 Edgewood Road. Programs are geared for children ages 3 to 10 for $5 per class. Registration is required by phone at 410-263-7958 or online at www.annap olis.gov/recreation. Courses include: * Stormwater Education Experience at 3 p.m. May 17 and 3:45 p.m. May 18. Safe lead practices The City of Annapolis will hold Lead Safe Practice Training sessions for residents and contractors to help reduce the risk of lead contamination, especially to children.

Environmental program for kids The Annapolis Recreation and Parks Department is offering an environmental educational program at Back Creek Nature Park at 1314 Edgewood Road. Stormwater Education Experience will be held at 3 p.m. May 17 and 3:45 p.m. May 18. The program is geared toward ages 3 to 10 and cost $5 per class. Registration is required by phone at 410-263-7958 or online at annapolis.gov/recreation. New galley The Naval Academy has received $51 million in federal economic recovery money to build a galley.

The Baltimore NAACP will meet next week to consider whether any health risks were posed eight years ago when researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health spread sludge on several city residential properties. The civil rights group plans to use the session to gather information to prepare questions for both institutions about a lead-abatement study published in 2005, said Marvin L. "Doc" Cheatham Sr., president of the Baltimore chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The findings may not be surprising, but two new studies linking childhood lead exposure to later criminal activity are still extremely disturbing. It may not be news to anyone who has sat in juvenile court in Baltimore, where lawyers for youthful offenders have tried to use lead poisoning as an excuse for their clients' bad behavior. But in tracking the harmful, long-term effects of lead, the studies serve as another loud reminder - for Baltimore, Maryland and the nation - that no amount of this toxin in the body can be considered safe.