Last night was the first Galesburg City Council meeting since an Associated Press investigation alleged that 5 percent of Knox County children have dangerous levels of lead in their blood.
Mayor John Pritchard cited the Knox County Health Department, who has said they believe that figure is closer to 1.5 percent.
He said while this is a serious issue since it is almost a percentage point higher than most Illinois counties, he believes the city has done everything asked of them.
Pritchard is less than grateful for attention Congresswoman Cheri Bustos has brought to Galesburg on this issue as she has criticized the city’s lead response in the media and even spoken about it on the floor of the U.S. House.
“We’ve had local businesses fending off the issues of the perception now that Galesburg has lead-tainted water,” Pritchard says. “And I think maybe she might have presented things in a different manner or a different venue, but now we’re stuck in that perception and there won’t be much we can do with it.”
He adds that the outcry of concern seems to have come more from the media than Galesburg residents.
Pritchard also spoke about adding to the city’s roster of two lead inspectors in light of the Health Department’s belief that as much as 80 percent of children contaminated with lead is from lead dust or paint in homes.
