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from the there-are-acceptable-levels-of-lead-poisoning? dept.
Some neighborhoods in California are experiencing levels of lead that exceed those measured in Flint, Michigan:
Dozens of California communities have experienced recent rates of childhood lead poisoning that surpass those of Flint, Michigan, with one Fresno locale showing rates nearly three times higher, blood testing data obtained by Reuters shows.
The data shows how lead poisoning affects even a state known for its environmental advocacy, with high rates of childhood exposure found in a swath of the Bay Area and downtown Los Angeles. And the figures show that, despite national strides in eliminating lead-based products, hazards remain in areas far from the Rust Belt or East Coast regions filled with old housing and legacy industry.
In one central Fresno zip code, 13.6 percent of blood tests on children under six years old came back high for lead. That compares to 5 percent across the city of Flint during its recent water contamination crisis. In all, Reuters found at least 29 Golden State neighborhoods where children had elevated lead tests at rates at least as high as in Flint.
Interactive map of U.S. lead hotspots.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 23 2017, @10:04PM (13 children)
In yet another bid to outdo Obama he already has a higher record of lead in the water supply.
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 23 2017, @10:19PM (9 children)
Hooray! You got your sarcastic comment about Trump in! Only 10 more to go for the daily quota! Of course this article has nothing to do with politics, but you inserted yours anyway.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by bob_super on Thursday March 23 2017, @10:41PM (5 children)
> this article has nothing to do with politics
Sure, it doesn't.
Because refusing to pay enough taxes to maintain infrastructure, or replace dangerous bridges and pipes (especially in impoverished neighborhoods) has nothing to with politics.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 23 2017, @11:44PM
replace dangerous bridges
(a message from the Trolls' United Bridge and General Infrastructure Replacement League)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 24 2017, @04:31AM
The pipes were installed by developers. Should they be liable? If they are dead, maybe their heirs could pay?
The houses are owned by people, some of whom are landlords. Some of these people have replaced some of the pipe, while others did not. If government now pays, it is not fair to the people who already paid. Perhaps they should get cash payouts? With interest? When homeowners are raising families in contaminated homes, should they get in trouble for child abuse? What about landlords, are they guilty of child abuse or perhaps financially liable for the harm?
The houses are subject to local government. Flint didn't care to fix anything, but the neighboring cities have been replacing pipes for decades and are nearly done. If we tax everybody in the USA to pay to fix Flint, aren't we being unfair to the responsible cities? The governments in these bad cities were elected by the people, and the people got the government they deserved. Perhaps the voters should be liable, particularly ones from years past. We could track down former residents, say from 1970 to 1995, and make them pay.
Maybe we could just shut off the water or use Bitrex to make it taste bad. That is really cheap.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday March 24 2017, @11:15AM (2 children)
Because refusing to pay enough taxes to maintain infrastructure, or replace dangerous bridges and pipes (especially in impoverished neighborhoods) has nothing to with politics.
What happens when you pay enough taxes - and it happens anyway? We need to keep in mind that just because one pays taxes, doesn't mean that they get spent well. I think we'll find there is a significant correlation between lead poisoning, especially on public infrastructure like water systems, and government corruption and high non-essential spending like public employee pension funds.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Friday March 24 2017, @04:31PM (1 child)
If you pay high taxes and don't get proper services (especially life-saving ones), you start chopping heads... at the ballot box, then literally.
I'm getting really tired of Americans telling the world they have the best system, but the worst government. Kicking butt around the world but being sheep at home, worshiping a decent but outdated and imperfect constitution, while pledging and singing to a flag which means less every day...
Get your butt off your chair and kick some sense into your ruling class, o former blah-blah-representation people!
Put your pride where it matters, instead of in your truck size...
"Sorry, can't get involved. I've got my little chunk of the American Dream I could lose to the big nebulous scary government" (which is made up of millions of evilmongers, not 99.9% decent people trying, hard or not, to do their jobs under the direction of a thousand lunatics)
Fucking pathetic.
> high non-essential spending like public employee pension funds.
Right, blame the pension funds!
Isn't the Pentagon getting a 10% raise while a hundred thousand bridges are structurally deficient?
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday March 25 2017, @02:05AM
If you pay high taxes and don't get proper services (especially life-saving ones), you start chopping heads... at the ballot box, then literally.
I'm getting really tired of Americans telling the world they have the best system, but the worst government. Kicking butt around the world but being sheep at home, worshiping a decent but outdated and imperfect constitution, while pledging and singing to a flag which means less every day... Get your butt off your chair and kick some sense into your ruling class, o former blah-blah-representation people! Put your pride where it matters, instead of in your truck size...
And I get tired of people calling for more taxes without considering what those taxes get spent on. There's a kit of voters who have gone along with this mess. And a key , if not majority component are the voters who can't be bothered to care where the money goes.
"Sorry, can't get involved. I've got my little chunk of the American Dream I could lose to the big nebulous scary government" (which is made up of millions of evilmongers, not 99.9% decent people trying, hard or not, to do their jobs under the direction of a thousand lunatics) Fucking pathetic.
high non-essential spending like public employee pension funds.
Right, blame the pension funds! Isn't the Pentagon getting a 10% raise while a hundred thousand bridges are structurally deficient?
There's several things to remember here. First, pension funds and Social Security is first and foremost a bribe to the US voter to go along with the status quo. For any attempt at fiscal responsibility has to address these items which are bigger than military spending after the proposed budget hike in large part because they are also increasing faster than the US economy than military spending.
Second, without the significant additional stream of revenue from Social Security over the past 80 years, US military spending wouldn't have gotten as big as it did. Excess revenue gets dumped into the general fund and spent.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 24 2017, @12:04AM (1 child)
Of course this article has nothing to do with politics
It's almost as if it was intended to be a joke rather than a political statement. Nah, couldn't be.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 29 2017, @12:30PM
What makes you think it couldn't?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 24 2017, @12:27AM
If by now you don't think Trump deserves quite a bit of mockery, then you should pull your head from out between your cheeks and say "heewwwoooo" to the world.
(Score: 2) by Sulla on Thursday March 23 2017, @11:15PM (2 children)
Good thing the EPA has been keeping an eye on these things. Hope we give them more money to keep up the great work.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 23 2017, @11:46PM
"data was released by the California Department of Public Health"
(Score: 2) by tibman on Friday March 24 2017, @02:02PM
I doubt the EPA is tasked with protecting our plumbing. Rivers, yes.
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