EPA Lead Program Grant Fact Sheet
EPA's National Community-Based Lead Grant Program
EPA grants are helping communities with older housing reduce childhood lead poisoning. The funds enable communities to educate those at risk, provide lead-awareness training and develop local ordinances aimed at lead abatement.
The National Community-Based Lead Outreach and Training Grants are aimed at promoting efforts to prevent or reduce childhood lead poisoning. In 2007 the Agency awarded more than $3.1 million in grants to fund this ambitious program. Grant recipients range from city health departments to universities and colleges, community organizations, religious groups and other non-profit organizations.
EPA's lead program is playing a major role in meeting the federal goal of eliminating childhood lead poisoning as a major public health concern by 2010. Projects supported by these grant funds are an important part of this ongoing effort -- and we are seeing their effects. By 2002, the number of U.S. children with elevated blood levels had dropped to 310,000 from 13.5 million in 1978, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
City of San Diego
EPA has selected the City of San Diego, California, for a National Community-Based Lead Outreach and Training Grant.
The City of San Diego collaborated with a number of community-based organizations and partnered with several national organizations to form the San Diego Lead Safety Project (SDLSP) to reduce lead exposures and lead poisoning.
The project will:
- Conduct specialized outreach on non-housing sources of lead in border communities,
- Provide training in lead-safe work practices to professionals who work throughout the city,
- Train local home improvement store staff and local family daycare providers so they are knowledgeable about lead safety measures,
- Provide outreach and education to realtors about lead-related laws and regulations, from the Federal real estate disclosure to assorted local requirements,
- Offer more specialized lead training to a local Youth Empowerment Program and to a Painter's Apprenticeship Program, and
- Create inter-agency online links to relevant sections of the city's Lead Safe Neighborhoods Program website, thereby fostering greater inter-agency awareness of and involvement in lead safety issues and providing increased access to lead safety information to the public at large.
For more information about EPA's Lead Program, visit www.epa.gov/lead or call the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD.