John Oliver turned his righteous outrage to lead poisoning in his weekly show last night. And, as he tends to do, did it with humor.
"There is no safe level of lead," Oliver said. "It's one of those things so dangerous that you shouldn't even let a little bit inside you, like heroin, or Jeremy Piven."
He started with the Flint, Michigan water crisis and expanded from there, pointing out that there are 2.1 million homes in the U.S. where children under age six live that also have a lead dust hazard. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventionestimates that 535,000 children under age six have an elevated blood lead level.
"Lead is almost as much a scourge in young children's homes as 'Frozen' merchandise," he said, to laughter.
Lead is a naturally occurring mineral, but is toxic to humans, especially children, and can lead to irreversible neurodevelopmental problems, including intellectual disability.