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EPA Lead Program Grant Fact Sheet
EPA's Targeted Lead Grants
EPA's Targeted Lead Grant Program funds projects in areas with high incidences of children with elevated blood-lead levels in vulnerable populations. In 2007 the Agency awarded more than $5.2 million in grants under this ambitious program. These targeted grants are intended to address immediate needs of the communities in which they are awarded, and will also highlight lead poison prevention strategies that can be used in similar communities across the country.
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, and the projects supported by these grant funds are an important part of this ongoing effort. According to the Centers for Disease Control in 1978 there were 13.5 million children in the US with elevated blood lead levels. By 2002, that number had dropped to 310,000.
City of Hartford, CT - High Tech Lead Tracking
EPA has selected the City of Hartford's High Tech Lead Tracking project in Hartford, Connecticut, for a Targeted Lead Grant.
The $100,000 grant project is a partnership between two city departments: Health and Human Services and Metro Hartford Information System. Hartford has the highest number of young children at risk of becoming lead-poisoned in the state and 64 percent of lead poisoning cases come from the four poorest cities in the state. The city plans to use the grant money to develop and deploy an integrated database using GIS technology to analyze information on lead hazard inspections; identify properties with lead hazards and properties where lead was remediated. This database will allow a real-time analysis of neighborhood "hot spots" in order to direct outreach and education efforts on lead hazards to parents and property owners, referring them to the city's available resources to address lead risk.
The project will:
- Result in a 5 percent increase in the number of children screened for lead poisoning;
- Identify and inspect 325 high-risk housing units for lead;
- Increase the number of "lead-safe blocks" in high-risk Hartford neighborhoods;
- Reduce the number of children with unidentified and untreated elevated blood lead levels;
- Reduce the number of children exposed to other environmental hazards in housing;
- Increase resident awareness and knowledge of lead hazard prevention.
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.