A Mother Who Became an Environmental Health Advocate.

Among my field experiences, one case exemplifies how nonprofessional individuals can make a difference too. In every community where environmental health professionals share their expertise, what the public learns can lead to positive changes.

The Beginning of the Journey

When Kim, a mother of two children, learned in early December 1993 that both her children had lead poisoning, a journey with many ramifications began. Kim's residence was an inner-city home built before the 1960s that had been painted with lead-based paint. Peeling and chipping paints inside and outside the house, soil contaminated with leaded dust, residence in a community with other houses exposed to similar lead hazards, and the take-home exposure to lead from Kim's husband's job were among the primary factors involved in the poisoning.

One day, during a visit to the local clinic for a regular checkup, it was suggested that Kim have her children blood-tested for lead poisoning. She was ambivalent at first but after more explanation about the consequences of lead poisoning, she agreed to do so. A week later, she was told that both her children had elevated blood lead levels (one child with 32 micrograms of lead per deciliter, the other with 25).

Knowledge Brings Power

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), blood lead levels of 10 micrograms per deciliter ([micro]g/dL) or lower are safe. Kim soon learned that blood lead levels over 10 [micro]g/dL could cause irreversible effects; that information contradicted a statement made by her pediatrician. Devastation and aggravation prompted Kim to dive into a long crusade to learn about childhood lead poisoning. She communicated with local officials, struggled for a cure for her children, and became an advocate on the issue in her community. Soon she learned more about the dangers of lead poisoning--that, for instance, this silent hazard had invaded her while she was pregnant with her second child. Although it was too late for her to stop the damage, what she learned benefited other pregnant women in her community. In community awareness sessions, they learned that lead

* puts pregnant women and their fetuses at great risk,

* harms the placenta and the fetus,

* increases the risk of miscarriage and premature birth, and

* lowers birth weight and increases learning disabilities.

A few months after the birth of Kim's second child, he started to show symptoms of illness such as breathing problems, bowel movement difficulty, and frequent crying. Interestingly enough, the doctor could not diagnose any particular illness.

When the problem finally was identified, Kim became confused, worried, and depressed, blaming herself for being ignorant about lead poisoning. She found herself in a quandary as to whom she should believe. Through daily associations and hard work, she found that the following environmental health practitioners are quite helpful in educating families:

* lead risk assessors,

* health educators,

* public health sanitarians,

* public health nurses, and

* health aides.

When Kim began her quest to know more about lead poisoning, she was surprised to find Out that the government had known about the health problems associated with lead poisoning for many decades, yet millions of children were at risk because of major lead poisoning in large metropolitan cities across the country. Although she tried to learn about the problem from her pediatrician, she had to educate herself for the most part. She appreciated being able to obtain knowledge and information through other sources, such as her local public health department.

The Importance of Empathy

As a public health sanitarian, I worked closely with Kim for many months. She accepted the reality of the lead-poisoning problem and soon decided that being negative would not solve any problems. I admired her zeal and had empathy for her and other constituents who shared her dilemma.

We worked together as a team. For the sake of the community, we helped each other out in the battle to overcome this public health challenge. To my knowledge, the following factors guided Kim in forming an association that began working against lead exposures in the environment:

* exuberant response to a challenge,

* perseverance,

* nonstop communication with health officials,

* relations with the media, and

* contact with other victimized families.

In this country, there are many environmental health issues that can be responded to in a similar positive fashion if advocates collaborate in teams with commitment and tenacity Environmental health professionals can be a significant part of the solution when an advocate like Kim dedicates herself day and night to the community.

This mother of two children with lead poisoning was a role model for many mothers in her community. After years of researching and investigating lead hazards in the environment, Kim became literate and confident enough to hold educational seminars for local groups and communities--and even at the annual educational conferences of sanitarians. She cooperated closely with the city health department in the Childhood Lead Poisoning Program and on a daily basis collaborated with public health sanitarians, health educators, and other members of the environmental health management team. Her advocacy on the issue of lead poisoning has helped her association and other local organizations to continue receiving government grants so that they can keep on fighting against lead exposures in their environment.

In the June 2000 issue of the Journal, we published the last in a series of 10 "Learning from Experience" columns by authors John Teel, Pat Fowler, and Richard Briley. We now are pleased to report that a new author, Dr. Leo F. Parvis, will be contributing material for this practical and informational column in every other issue of the Journal.

Dr. Parvis studied environmental health issues in the Mediterranean region for three years in the late 1980s, and in 1998 he received a Ph.D. in public health from Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dr. Parvis has spent many years working in both the public and the private sectors on issues related to environmental health and educational research. Currently, he is writing a book for parents--and professionals who work with parents--about protecting children from environmental health problems.