Re “Why can’t we get the lead out?’’ (Opinion, Feb. 12): A possible answer to the question Renée Loth poses is that we live in a corpocracy. Many of our elected officials have chosen to represent the corporations and businesses that finance their campaigns rather than their constituency. So the well-being of children — or of any individual, for that matter — takes a back seat to profits. We know that any amount of lead is toxic, but what will it cost to remove it from our environment? How much will it cost if we ban other toxins, such as phthalates, many flame-retardant chemicals, glyphosate, and 2,4-D? Too much, apparently, as our government, unlike the governments of other Western industrialized countries, refuses to act.

Elizabeth Hare

Hingham