Inspired by daughter, Ohio mom works to get rid of lead

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — In the first installment, 2 NEWS showed you the sneaky problem of lead lurking where our children learn, play and live.

Today, it hits even closer to home.

A southwest Ohio mother says her family will be dealing with the effects of lead poisoning for the rest of their lives.

And they want to do all they can to help other families avoid a similar future.

Josie Watson says her nightmare started with the realization of a dream.

“We bought a house and we were pregnant during the pandemic, and it was built in 1911,” Watson said. “We knew that there was lead in the house, probably because it was an old house, but we didn’t really think anything of it.”

Lurking Lead

Lead poisoning more common than you think

They thought nothing of it, until the letter came from the health department, telling her that her daughter had tested positive for unsafe levels of lead.

“We were devastated,” Josie said. “I mean, like, your whole job as a parent is to keep your kids safe, right? And we thought we were doing everything that we knew how to do at the time.”

Josie says it was a lack of knowledge that put her daughter at risk.

“We didn’t have the information that we needed to keep her safe from from our own home,” Josie said.

Now, she wants to make sure other parents are better informed.

“We have these myths and stereotypes in our head about who this happens to,” Josie said.

But Josie says the lead can be lurking in even the most unsuspecting home.

“They call them ‘impact surfaces’ or ‘friction surfaces,’ ” Josie said. “So in our doors, every time we open and shut a door, that impact creates little small amounts of lead even in a renovated home.”

It’s also outdoors, on play surfaces, in vintage toys, and even on many dishes produced before 2007.

Locating the source — and getting remediation — can be a lengthy process.

“We were out of our home for six months,” Josie said. “I see our home differently now, and I’ll see every home differently now.”

She sees it differently because the lead that was lurking may have left her daughter with irreparable injuries.

“Unfortunately for her and for any other kid with lead in their blood, lead causes permanent brain damage,” Josie said. “It’s like a car crash. It’s like a TBI. I wish that there was something else I could tell you and every other parent, but it’s permanent brain damage.”

She wants other parents to know, while there are steps you can and should take to prevent lead poisoning, if it happens, it’s not your fault.

“Try and let go of some of the shame attached with it,” Josie said. “You know there’s so many people out there who do have kids with blood poisoning and there’s a lot of shame attached to that and it’s not our fault.”

Since her daughter’s diagnosis, Josie has thrown herself into learning as much about lead as she can. That includes personally becoming certified in lead abatement.

She also works with other families to make their homes safer and find grants to help cover the costs of getting the lead out of your home.

You can find more about state assistance for lead at the Ohio.gov website .

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