EPI economist, Elise Gould, Director of Health Research, reviews the individual and societal costs of early childhood lead exposure. The study, published the Partnership for Economic Success and adapted for an article published in Environmental Helath Perspectives concludes that benefits from preventing lead poisoning, especially for children six and under, far exceeds the costs of lead hazard remediation. The research was funded in part by the Partnership for America’s Economic Success.
“Even under the most conservative analysis, for every dollar spent on controlling lead hazards, at least $17 would be returned via improved health outcomes, increased IQ, higher lifetime earnings, increased tax revenue, less spending on special education and reduced criminal activity,”