Get the Lead Out

I’ve often complained about living in one of those new, suburban, cookie-cutter houses. It’s just so depressingly generic. It has no history. There’s just nothing interesting about it. Still, it has its advantages. Upkeep is a breeze. And, according to a story from Portland NBC affiliate KGW, it may be better for my family’s health. Oregon Public Health estimates that 90% of lead poisoning cases in Oregon go undiagnosed, and it seems that children living in older homes are at a greater risk. The article also contains this curious paragraph:

Multiple medical studies show that lead in the blood of a child causes lower IQ. Lower IQ results in lower salaries as adults. One study estimates a blood level of 10 as a child costs that person $94,000 to $127,000 in lifetime earnings.

That’s such a weird claim, I don’t even know what to make of it. Still, the info about lead poisoning is worth noting.

Here’s the article from KGW.