PORTLAND — In a significant turnaround, Oregon officials are clamping down on lead in Portland’s air.
The Oregonian/Oregon Live reports that officials say a one-day spike in airborne lead at a day care center led to Gov. Kate Brown’s Thursday order requiring Bullseye Glass in Portland to stop burning toxic metals in unfiltered furnaces.
State health officials say the levels of lead, a potent neurotoxin, found at the Children’s Creative Learning Center were capable of permanently lowering a child’s IQ.
Oregon Health Authority Director Lynne Saxton says the situation called for an urgent response to protect public health.
For months, however, regulators had ignored the discovery of lead in Southeast Portland’s air and excluded lead from rules meant to control Bullseye’s pollution.
