The Manhattan Times

After 13 years, toxic lead site in the D.R. cleaned up

To the Editor:

I just returned from the Dominican Republic and can report that the world’s most toxic lead site in Haina has been successfully cleaned.

The job is not over yet for the entire village, because lead accumulated for 18 years in soil where kids live. But thanks to Blacksmith’s President, Richard Fuller and Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo’s Dr. Conrado DePratt, an agreement was reached between Blacksmith, which cleans up toxic sites around the world, and UASD for $500,000 to continue cleanup of lead in soil of all homes close to the toxic site and to test the soil and water and clean up lead hot spots throughout village.

The project will take another year and will be started soon.

In the end, for the first time in children’s lives, they can live and play in a lead-free environment.

Special thanks goes to Environmental Minister Dr. Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal, for making this all possible. One of Dr. Fernandez’s projects is promoting the arts and nature, and today artists are painting a giant mural around the cleaned up site.

He also wants an ecological tree/grass park there, the community wants a community center with health services, some want a playground for kids who have none and have never played in a safe, healthy place in their lives. Once a decision has been reached, I will notify everyone who may wish to help support.

Hopefully, during our March humanitarian trip, we can inaugurate the proposed projects for Haina.

Thanks for everyone’s support – it has only taken 13 years since I discovered the illegal battery smelter to make the area safe from lead for the kids. We can’t forget that these kids will have lifetime learning problems as a result of living in this toxic environment, so the goals of protecting the babies from lead exposure and helping the young children in school to overcome their learning disabilities must be continued.

Steve Null

President, Friends of Lead Free Children

(Editor’s Note: Friends of Lead Free Children is based in Northern Manhattan and has benefited over the years from the annual Children’s Health Festival on St. Nicholas Avenue and the support of local elected officials.)