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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.
La Crosse, Wisconsin - Outreach to Hmong Immigrants
EPA has selected the La Crosse County Health Department in La Crosse, Wisconsin, for a Targeted Lead Grant.
The Department plans to use the grant money on culturally-appropriate outreach strategies aimed at getting lead poisoning prevention messages to the county's Hmong population.
Although more than half of its housing was built before 1969 and it has one of the poorest populations in Wisconsin, La Crosse County currently has no prevention program to identify and reduce childhood lead poisoning, and lacks even a lead poison prevention outreach/education program. EPA's grant funds are earmarked to change that by providing a lead prevention program that will:
- Create outreach strategies
- Encourage home owners and renters to test for lead through an awareness campaign including distribution of lead-test kits
- Plan and promote educational outreach to contractors on the use of lead safe work practices
- Provide consultation services to individuals looking for certified inspectors, abatement contractors, and financial assistance for lead hazard reduction work
The grant will fund outreach that uses specific venues, such as childcare providers and hardware stores, 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.