Xavier University program fights rampant lead poisoning in N.O.

Lead contamination is harming too many children in New Orleans.

Fortunately, Xavier University is trying to do something about it.

The university has already helped one Bywater couple whose dream home was built on the site of a polluted former mechanic shop. The family did not

High levels of lead can cause hearing problems and learning difficulties in children. Behavioral disorders have also been linked to excessive lead absorption. Lead poisoning affects a child for life.

Unfortunately, the endangered Bywater boy is not the exception. Howard Mielke, Xavier professor of toxicology, said at least 40,000 properties in New Orleans exceed federal lead contamination safety standards.

And children are paying the price. Up to 30 percent of children age 5 or younger in inner-city New Orleans exceed the federal guideline for blood lead and 14 percent of children exceed the guideline citywide. Children ages 18 to 28 months are more likely to suffer from lead poisoning because they put things from the ground into their mouths.

According to the 2003 Census estimate, there are 32,363 children under age 5 in New Orleans, which statistically means an estimated 4,531 children have lead poisoning.

In many parts of New Orleans, the median level of contamination is above 1,000 milligrams of lead per kilogram of soil, nearly three times the level considered safe for children by the federal government.

Xavier University's $700,000 federally funded pilot program has shown it can reduce lead exposure in New Orleans. The program is simple. Six inches of clean soil are laid over the contaminated dirt and lead exposure plummets.

Xavier's Recover New Orleans project observes its first anniversary this month. In the past 12 months, 25 contaminated New Orleans properties have received free, clean soil taken from the Bonnet Carre Spillway.

Encouragingly, soil lead levels in treated properties in Bywater, Central City and Treme have fallen far below federal government guidelines.

But in treating just 25 homes, Xavier exhausted its grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Much more funding is needed.

Four months after the Bywater family's yard gained its protective layer of clean soil, a blood test showed their tot's poisonous lead levels had receded. Impairments still may surface.

But it looks as if the program works. Xavier University's heroic rescue efforts should continue. For our children's sake, we can't afford to stop this program.