Rich DiPentima of Portsmouth has served as Chief of Communicable Disease Epidemiology and Assistant Director of Public Health for the NH Division of Public Health Services (NHDPHS), Deputy Public Health Director for the Manchester Health Department and is a retired NH Air National Guard public health officer.

In 2000, as a public health official investigating communicable diseases, I led an inquiry that I will never forget.

A two-year-old refugee girl had been placed in an older home in Manchester. She was full of life, just beginning to discover the world around her. But hidden in the peeling paint and dust of that home was a silent killer: lead. Within two months, she suffered acute lead poisoning and died. Her blood lead level was 391 micrograms per deciliter — nearly 80 times the state’s safety limit. But make no mistake, no level of lead is safe for children. Her life was cut short before it had truly begun. More than two decades later, I am still haunted by that tragedy, because I know it was preventable.

Reading the latest state report felt like stepping back into that nightmare. 1,142 children in New Hampshire were poisoned by lead in 2023, the highest number ever recorded. The numbers alone are devastating, but the reality is likely even worse. Lead poisoning often goes undetected without testing, meaning more children are suffering in silence, their futures stolen by an invisible threat.

Lead is a silent threat. It has no smell, no taste, no immediate symptoms until it’s too late. It creeps into children’s bodies, damaging their brains and robbing them of their potential. Lower IQ, learning disabilities, behavioral challenges — these are just some of the irreversible consequences. And while low-income families, many living in older housing, are hit the hardest, lead poisoning does not discriminate. It affects families across all socioeconomic backgrounds, threatening children regardless of where they live or how much their parents earn. No family is immune to this danger.

But there is hope. This legislative session, lawmakers introduced House Bill 724, a critical step toward preventing more children from suffering. This bill prioritizes prevention over reaction, ensuring homes are made lead-safe before children are exposed. It ensures no family has to wait for a crisis before action is taken.

Lawmakers must pass HB 724. Every day of delay puts more children in danger.

We’ve taken bold action before. When New Hampshire’s loons were dying from ingesting lead fishing tackle, the legislature acted swiftly to ban it. If we can take quick action to protect wildlife, why are we not doing the same for our children?

For too long, we’ve let lead poisoning be the warning sign instead of addressing the root cause. We must require lead-safe housing, fully fund abatement programs and ensure universal testing. The knowledge, the solutions and the responsibility are all in our hands. The only question is whether we have the will to act.

We cannot change the past, but we can shape the future. If we act now, we can prevent another child from suffering the same fate as that little girl in Manchester. We can make sure that every child in New Hampshire has the chance to grow, explore and live a full, healthy life free from the invisible threat of lead.

Lawmakers: Pass HB 724. No more silence. No more excuses.