Trenton Mayor W. Reed Gusciora recently joined interim Recreation Director Paul Harris and his team to provide a construction update for Villa Park Playground. A City of Trenton press release noted demolition on the current playground began on Monday, September 9th, and was completed within twenty-four hours. The installation of playground equipment includes features for ages two through twelve. City officials anticipated the playground would be ready for public use by Friday, September 20th. The project, set at $305,104.39, received financing through American Rescue Plan federal funds. It’s wonderful that city officials update Trenton residents about playground construction but they fail miserably to inform us about lead contamination progress. Great, new slides, swings and other apparatus for your lead-contaminated child to enjoy. A ginormous disconnect occurs in Trenton regarding the hazards of lead. The World Health Organization released this information in late September although the news seems older than this capital city’s lead fight. Exposure to lead can affect multiple body systems and is particularly harmful to young children and women of child-bearing age. Lead is distributed to the brain, liver, kidney and bones. It is stored in the teeth and bones, where it can accumulate over time. Human exposure is assessed through the measurement of lead in blood. Lead exposure was attributed to more than 1.5 million deaths globally in 2021, primarily due to cardiovascular effects. Lead in bone is released into blood during pregnancy and becomes a source of exposure to the developing fetus. There is no level of exposure to lead that is known to be without harmful effects. The harmful impacts on health from lead exposure are entirely preventable. Plus, lead ranks as especially dangerous for children, who are more likely to be exposed through hand to mouth behavior. Children younger than six list as particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning, which can cause irreversible health effects like brain damage and mental retardation. How about an update on the number of children tested for lead contamination at Grant Intermediate School. The last announced count noted 118 out of 600 were diagnosed ahead of a plan to unleash a door-to-door initiative to perform in-home testing. Mayor Gusciora could stand holding a Publishers Clearing House check worth $10 million on many doorsteps and residents would not allow him entry fearing an undercover ICE sting lurks. Plus, word moves through neighborhoods that if your child or home tests positive for lead, landlords will kick families into the street. We should know the number of houses inspected for lead paint and actions initiated if issues were found in houses. Capital City children need people to speak and act on their behalf. Trenton-based organizations that allege advocation for children, health care, safe environment, etc. play politics with this life and death issue, afraid to challenge city officials. If we accept Isles, Inc. as a leading authority on lead contamination and remediation then we should not ignore this statement. Isles states, “We know lead is in water in many parts of the state, but the way most children get poisoned by lead (about 80% of the time) is from the dust from lead paint left to chip, flake and turn to silent, dangerous dust. “About 50% of children in Trenton schools have a level of lead in their blood that affects their learning and behavior. Lead dramatically lowers math and reading scores. Plus, children with lead in their blood are seven times more likely to be involved with the juvenile justice system, as lead severely damages the part of the brain that controls impulse and behavior.” What’s the status of the Trenton lead effort? (Insert cricket sound here). They don’t care enough about our kids. (No les importan lo suficiente nuestros hijos!) If they cared as much as they profess then their actions would deliver an immediate and sustained agenda to get the lead out of Trenton. City officials can show an act of grand intent and good faith by establishing a data base of all houses built before 1978, when lead paint was used, followed by a plan to inspect those residences. Yes, it’s a painstaking task but well worth the effort considering what’s at stake — the health of our city and safeguard of children. L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at [email protected].