Lead Poisoning

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.

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.

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.