In October the Tribune ran a story about Jesse and Debra Selvy–a near-west-side couple with children whose blood is contaminated by lead. Since then not much has been done for the Selvys: chunks of lead paint still fall from the walls of their dilapidated nine-room apartment and 5 of their 11 children still have high levels of lead in their blood.
The issue goes back to the early 1970s, when federal health officials publicized the link between lead contamination and kidney, liver, and brain damage. Children are contaminated by eating chunks of lead-based paint or by inhaling dust from it. “Lead paint causes learning disabilities, mental retardation, and even death,” says Miripol. “It’s not killing children every day, but it’s affecting children every day. It poisons the blood system and goes to the brain.” The city has banned the sale of lead-based paint, and there are thousands of inhabited buildings that need to be stripped of it.
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Overall, roughly 10 percent of Chicago’s children reside in what officials call high-risk areas. The situation is especially dangerous in older, low- income inner-city communities like West Garfield Park, Woodlawn, Fuller Park, and Englewood, where, according to city statistics, the rate of contamination reaches as high as 25 poisonings per 1,000 children annually. Because the city does not have enough inspectors to test the buildings, or public-health nurses to warn residents of the danger, many children don’t even know they are poisoned.
The landlord was in and out of court on the matter for five years, say the Selvys. Only occasionally would he patch a peeling wall. “I complained to him, but he would threaten us with the kids,” says Selvy. “Basically, he was saying, ‘Good luck finding a place for 11 kids.’”
At the moment, the city spends about $1 million in federal funds on lead inspection and abatement programs, which Miripol’s group thinks is not enough. They thought they had an ally in Mayor Washington, but the best he could do was appoint a task force to study the matter. The task force issued its report in August 1988, calling for an exhaustive citywide inspection to determine which buildings needed to be stripped. Mayor Sawyer approved the recommendations, but didn’t allocate the money to implement them.
The coalition asked Orr to propose an amendment to the Daley budget that would add about $1 million for lead-paint programs. “Orr’s amendment came up for a vote at the December 13 meeting, and we thought it would pass, no problem,” says Miripol. “How can you be against a program to crack down on lead-paint poisoning? It’s like being against children.”
Kotlarz says the matter was sent to committee because the administration needed more time to figure out where money for the program would come from, adding: “I am for anything that will clean up lead.”
