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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.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Lead-Free Philly
EPA has selected the National Nursing Centers Consortium (NNCC) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a Targeted Lead Grant.
Lead poisoning in Philadelphia remains one of the most dangerous environmental threats to children, despite the fact that it is completely preventable. Philadelphia's numerous young children in low-income families and in old, poorly maintained housing stock create ideal conditions for lead poisoning. Low-income residents occupy nearly 85% of the dwelling units built before 1950. Although about 21,000 children are born in Philadelphia each year, only 2,000 caregivers of newborns receive lead prevention outreach per year. According to a study conducted by the local Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, between 15 and 25% of Philadelphia's children do not receive basic screening for lead. In some at-risk communities where linguistic and cultural barriers deter participation in available programs, services are perceived as scarce and unavailable.
The EPA award will address these needs as follows:
- Through the development of a referral database, NNCC will implement a referral and referral follow-up strategy for screening the hardest-to-access populations in Philadelphia.
- NNCC will provide culturally-relevant lead outreach education to high risk communities.
The grant will fund outreach that uses specific venues, such as community service providers, with the potential to reach high-risk populations.
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.