Today, HELP: MLP and our partners in advocacy and practice, the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium and Philadelphia Nurse-Family Partnership submitted oral and written testimony to the Philadelphia City Council advocating for improved lead laws across the City. Rachel Mark, HELP: MLP staff attorney, wrote:

“The Lead Law currently in effect requires that a landlord who knows or has reason to

know that a child under the age of 6 will be living in a rental property provide certification that the property is lead free or lead safe upon the signing of a new lease. This current ordinance has two main issues: (1) It protects only signers of new leases, and (2) it applies only to protect leases that include children under the age of 6. As such, it encourages discrimination against families and provides inadequate protection for our city’s most vulnerable children. Furthermore, because the law applies only to new leases, enforcement of the current lead law does not prevent lead poisoning, as the presence of lead is often detected only after a child’s blood lead level is measured. The CDC reports that no safe blood lead level has been identified, and as such, remediation after lead exposure is a poor solution.”

Read Rachel’s full testimony here. Also, follow #leadfreephilly on Twitter to get a recap of the compelling testimonies advocates across the City shared with Council members.