I-81 Teardown Raises Safety Concerns Over Lead Exposure
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)– Syracuse residents want to make sure their communities are protected against lead exposure ahead of the I-81 demolition project.
This includes Emily Kulkus, a mother of two and the Parent Teacher Organization President of the Syracuse Latin School.
“My kids’ school is very close to 81,” Kulkus said. “I would want to make sure that everything is being done to keep any dangerous chemicals or particles out of the air.”
The paint on the highway’s viaduct contains high amounts of lead, which could pollute the air and its surrounding areas if not torn down properly, according to medical professionals. Jeanette Zoeckler, the Director of the Occupational Health Clinic Center, explained that this would only add to an existing problem in Syracuse.
“Syracuse has had such a difficult problem with lead already,” Zoeckler said. “This community is already overexposed. More exposed than Flint, Michigan actually.”
Zoeckler said the risks of lead exposure are too high for parents to ignore.
“How actually smart your child is right now could be impaired by lead exposure,” she emphasized.
Advocates want the New York State Department of Transportation to release an overall health impact statement before the project begins. Project officials, however, are yet to take action, according to Zoeckler.
Though Phase 1 was slated to begin by the end of the year, a state Supreme Court judge ordered the DOT to temporarily pause the project in November. The temporary injunction, ordered by Judge Gerard Neri, came after the group “Renew 81” filed a petition citing violations against environmental laws to halt the project.
The injunction means the project will be put on pause until the two sides meet again in court in January.