<p>Before people start to bash Detroit, lead poisoning is a serious problem that affects many children in urban centers across the country, particularly Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, etc. These incinerators that contaminate the soil happen to be in the most vulnerable neighborhoods in the country. For people here who like to blame genetics as one reason why black children do worse in school, tell me this: is there lead in your homes? </p>
<p>Racism, crime and environmental hazards linked to lead poison (Michigan Citizen) </p>
<p>DETROIT Detroit is ranked fourth in the nation for lead poisoning and as many as 3,000 children in the city could be diagnosed with lead this year. </p>
<p>This striking revelation is contained in a new documentary on lead poisoning in Detroit. </p>
<p>Toxic City: Lead and the Battle for Environmental Justice is the story of some Detroit families who have contracted lead poison through renting houses with lead. </p>
<p>This documentary shows how lead disproportionately affects the poor, said Tony Motley, writer and producer of the one-hour documentary. </p>
<p>Motley, who produces both the American Black Journal and Am I Right shows on WTVS (Detroit Public Television PBS-affiliate), said the only way to raise consciousness on the issue is through a documentary. </p>
<p>No one advocates for the poor, Motley said. This is one of the challenges in urban cities we want to emphasize. </p>
<p>Terry Ward, a Detroit parent explains in the documentary how her four-year-old son Tyler had a seizure due to lead. </p>
<p>His lips and nose literally were turning to the opposite side of his face, Ward said. By the time we got to the doctors they said he needs to be put on machine. The doctors said he was lead poisoned. </p>
<p>According to Motley, Tyler, who is still in diapers, was poisoned by lead paint in the house they were renting. </p>
<p>Another single parent, Joanna Brown found out that five out of her seven kids have been poisoned by lead. </p>
<p>Brown, who has moved more than 20 times in seven years in search of decent housing, said it is a troubling nightmare for her. </p>
<p>The houses were not fixed properly, Brown said. She said many times she got evicted by landlords who feared that lead inspectors might come to check the house. </p>
<p>You cant have discount rent for substandard housing, said Amru Meah, Detroits building and safety department director. Thats what state law requires. If you dont want to do that, dont rent a property in Detroit. </p>
<p>Meah said city code bars landlords from providing distressed properties, to tenants and those looking to rent. </p>
<p>Children are lead poisoned because they live near facilities that contract lead poisoning, said Donele Wilkins, head of Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice. </p>
<p>Between 1998 and 2000 about 400 pounds of lead dust were found in Detroit according to the documentary. </p>
<p>Wilkins said that is because 87 percent of facilities in Michigan that dispose lead and present an environmental threat to the community are in Detroit. </p>
<p>One of such example highlighted in Motleys documentary is the Greater Detroit Recovery Center located on I-75 and Russell. </p>
<p>A waste and energy incinerator, the recovery center has impacted the lives of the neighborhood where it is located, especially the children. </p>
<p>Children who live near those facilities have the highest lead poison in Michigan, Wilkins said. This is no accident. Thats a pattern thats been proven in this country. </p>
<p>Wilkins said it is plain racism and that the back and front yards of 400 houses in Detroit need to be removed because of soil contamination. </p>
<p>Race is the number one factor for locating these facilities, Wilkins said. Often times we are told we have to host these facilities because we need jobs. But we dont end up getting the jobs. Its racism. </p>
<p>Dr. Deborah Denno, a law professor at Fordham University makes a case in the documentary of a link between lead and crime. </p>
<p>Denno said there is a strong link between lead toxicity and the likelihood of criminal activity. In her studies, conducted in the 1970s and in 1990 Denno, explored some 3000 factors for links to criminal behavior in 1000 children who were followed from birth to age 22. </p>
<p>The study found that the best predictor (when the children are 7 years old) for aggressive behavior in school, juvenile delinquency, and eventual criminal violence is the degree of lead poisoning. The second predictor in the study was anemia, which is also associated with toxins from the environment. </p>
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