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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.
University of Nevada - Las Vegas - Screening Imported Candy to Identify Lead Contamination Hazards
EPA has selected the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UN-LV) in Las Vegas, Nevada, for a Targeted Lead Grant.
UN-LV will address the emerging public health issue of lead-contaminated imported candy and the relationship between consumption of such candy and incidents of childhood lead poisoning. A "real time" monitoring of imported candy products will result in the identification and prompt removal of this relatively atypical lead hazard from the consumer marketplace by state and local health agencies. In addition, the project will significantly reduce analytic costs associated with determining lead contaminant levels in imported candy.
UN-LV intends to use EPA grant funding to:
- Measure the lead concentrations of imported candies purchased at local corner stores, flea markets and swap meets, especially imported candy intended to appeal to young children,
- Develop an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) lead screening protocol to share with Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Programs across the United States,
- Develop a nationally accessible database on imported candy for identifying lead hazards, and
- Create outreach materials to distribute to affected communities in Nevada.
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.