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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.
San Diego, California - San Diego Lead Awareness Project
EPA has selected the City of San Diego's Environmental Services Department (Lead Safe Neighborhoods Program) for a Targeted Lead Grant.
The City of San Diego's Environmental Services Department intends to use EPA grant funding to reduce childhood lead poisonings cases in the city by increasing blood lead screenings, and increasing the high-risk population's knowledge of lead poisoning sources and how to eliminate them. Using 2000 US census data, the city intends to focus on 63 of the city's 290 census tracts as high-risk target areas to eliminate childhood lead poisoning. The 63 census tracts where the city plans to focus its efforts have older housing stock, a higher density of children and lower average income, all contributing to above-average childhood lead poisoning rates.
EPA's grant funds are intended to achieve these milestone objectives:
- Lead-related outreach, education and training activities focused on areas and populations where blood lead levels are known to be high,
- Outreach to health care providers to raise childhood blood lead screening rates,
- Outreach to refugees and new immigrants via English-as-second-language classes,
- Teaching the 8-hour EPA/HUD-approved Lead-Paint Safety Training classes
- Providing tailored training to nurses, physicians and childcare providers, and
- Generating innovative lead-related displays for home improvement stores and a lead resource guide for San Diego residents, workers, and property owners.
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.