When: Lancaster City Council meeting, April 26, held in council chambers and streamed online.
What happened: The city is updating the lead poisoning prevention and lead hazard control ordinance to strengthen the response time to children with elevated blood levels as well as expanding requirements for lead safety in homes built before 1978. The new ordinance will take effect January 2023.
Why it matters: It is estimated that some 91,000 homes in Lancaster County have lead hazards, often from lead-based paint. Lead poisoning can create damage to the brain and nervous system, as well as slowing growth and development. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children under 6 are at the greatest risk for health problems caused by lead exposure.