By Mary Miller, Executive Communications, Office of Performance, Strategy, and Budget

A joint team from the Water and Land Resources Division of the Department of Natural Resources (DNRP) and Parks and the Environmental Health Division of Public Health – Seattle and King County received the 2023 Best-Run Government (BRG) Innovation Award for Equity, Racial & Social Justice. The project team took significant and decisive action to address the health risks that exposure to lead in aluminum cookware posed to Afghan refugee children – and then broadened new protective measures to help residents throughout the county and state.

Approximately 70 percent of cases referred to DNRP’s Hazardous Waste Management Program were attributed to lead exposure in refugee families from Afghanistan. The program identified aluminum cookware brought from Afghanistan as a potential source of lead exposure for these families. The release of lead from cookware during cooking and storage poses the risk of lead poisoning, which can lead to serious health issues, including neurological and developmental problems. Children are particularly vulnerable.

The Lead in Cookware Project Team partnered with the Afghan refugee community in King County to better understand the problem and identify solutions. In-home investigations by Hazardous Waste’s Residential Services team led to the discovery of lead in aluminum cookware. Using cookware donated by Afghan families or purchased from local and online retailers, the project team worked with University of Washington to measure the amount of lead that can leech out of cookware and into food and determined safer alternatives and community education were needed.

“This team set the perfect example of how King County lives into its True North and values,” said Monisha Harrell, Director of the Office of Equity, Racial & Social Justice and sponsor of the BRG Innovation Award for Equity, Racial & Social Justice. “The team listened to the voices and experiences of the people who were most impacted by the issue and co-designed strategies and interventions with them.”

To mitigate the risk of exposure to lead in aluminum cookware, the project team used a multi-faceted approach:

• Distributed 200 units of safer stainless-steel cookware to Afghan families in King County in partnership with the Afghan Health Initiative
• Increased awareness of the dangers of lead exposure through scientific publications, presentations to community and other partners, and media coverage
• Provided guidance on how to safely use, wash, and store aluminum cookware to reduce the risk of lead exposure
• Encouraged online marketplaces to remove lead-containing cookware
• Supported legislation to reduce lead in cookware in the Washington State Legislature

“These measures have had a positive impact on public health, consumer safety, and environmental protection in King County and beyond our jurisdiction,” said Maythia Airhart, Program Director, Hazardous Waste Management Program. “And they support the County’s commitment to creating healthy communities and a healthy environment.”

Added Harrell, “What started out as a King County project ended up being statewide legislation. It got substantial news coverage and now instead of just working to remove cookware with lead in one immigrant community, it has grown to include other places. We have saved families from lead poisoning because one project team from King County said this was important.”

The BRG Innovation Award for Equity, Racial & Social Justice recognizes workgroups and teams that have made progress toward achieving pro-equity improvements through practices and processes consistent with King County’s Equity, Racial and Social Justice Strategic Plan. The Executive’s Best-Run Government Awards recognize individuals and project teams committed to improving the equity, efficiency, and effectiveness of how King County operates.