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Lead contamination in Oakland represents a serious and persistent public health threat. Significant portions of the City of Oakland, California have soil lead levels far in excess of 400 ppm, the level that the US EPA suggests remedial action be taken at, and far higher than 80 ppm, the level that California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment suggests action should be taken at. Lead contamination in modern Oakland comes from three primary sources: remnants from previous industry, deposits from pre-ban leaded gasoline, and paint chips from pre-ban leaded paints. Not all areas of Oakland are affected equally: West Oakland's contamination is especially severe, particularly near the former Oakland Army Base, and many of Oakland's poorer neighborhoods also suffer disproportionately (since residents often lack the socioeconomic resources to remediate their lawns, or even to repaint their houses.) High blood levels of lead have been linked to a wide variety of health problems, including severe gastrointestinal, neuromuscular, and neurological symptoms.〔〔 These problems are especially significant in children, and childhood lead poisoning can lead to behavioral problems, developmental disorders, and permanent decreases in IQ. ==Historical context== Oakland is a historical center of heavy industry, but much of this industry left the city during the 1980s and early 1990s. This loss of a large number of well-paying blue collar jobs led to a significant decline in the financial situation of many Oaklanders,〔 and most of the closed manufacturing plants did not perform environmental remediation before shutting down, leaving many former industrial areas heavily polluted with lead and other contaminants. The Port of Oakland is the fourth busiest port in the United States in terms of container traffic,〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.portofoakland.com/maritime/factsfig.asp )〕 and Oakland was also historically one of the largest rail hubs on the west coast of the United States. Oakland was also an early center of car culture, and extensive highway development began to take place starting in the 1950s. Leaded gasoline was in widespread use in the United States for much of the 20th century, with lead levels gradually being reduced starting in the early 1970s, and leaded gasoline finally being completely banned in 1996.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/airpage.nsf/webpage/Leaded+Gas+Phaseout )〕 The use of leaded gasoline contributed greatly to lead contamination in Oakland, especially in areas of the city near its highways.〔 Lead-based paints were commonly used in Oakland until its ban in 1978, and as many as 85,000 still extant houses built in Oakland in that time period likely used lead paint. Paint chips or dust from pre-1978 paint contributes greatly to lead pollution in Oakland. A variety of lead paint abatement programs are available in Oakland run by local governments and non-profits, but most have been of limited impact. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lead contamination in Oakland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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