June 10, 2014 | WWMT
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – A new study released Tuesday, June 10th shows lead poisoning is costing Michigan more than $300-Million dollars per year.
“Economic Impact of Lead Exposure and Remediation in Michigan” was authored by the University of Michigan School of Public Health’s Risk Science Center and is the first report in Michigan to compare the costs of lead contamination of children with the cost to prevent the problem.
According to a release four main categories of impact were studied and expenditures were conservatively projected for costs associated with lead contamination of children: increased health care (over $18 million annually), increased adult and juvenile crime ($105 million annually), increased need for special education ($2.5 million annually), and decline in lifetime earnings ($206 million annually). Overall, the annual cost of lead exposure in Michigan children is approximately $330 million, $145 million of which is paid by taxpayers. [...]