EPA Works With States and Tribes to Eliminate Childhood Lead Poisoning

photo of a child near a lead-based paint covered wall

Lead-based paint presents a health hazard to children

Childhood lead poisoning remains a major environmental health problem in the United States, but it is entirely preventable. The EPA's Lead Program is working with state agencies in California, Hawaii, and Arizona, as well as Indian tribes, to provide poisoning prevention information to parents, schools, and child care providers. See the Lead Program home page for more information.

Despite significant reductions in childhood lead poisoning in recent decades approximately 310,000 children across the United States are still poisoned by lead each year. These children face learning disabilities, and speech, language, and behavior problems resulting from brain and nervous system damage caused by lead poisoning.

EPA Pacific Southwest Region's Activities

In California, EPA is working with the Department of Health Services to supply the state's 61 county and city lead programs with prevention materials.

Lead Hurts Kids

Nationwide, 849 children are poisoned by lead each day.
Hispanic children account for 3/4 of the lead poisonings in Arizona.
28% of houses in the Pacific Southwest Region were built before 1950 and have lead paint.
Lead poisoning is preventable.

In Hawaii, EPA is working with the Department of Health's Lead Program's WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) groups to inform participants about the dangers of childhood lead poisoning. For three months in early 2005, all WIC clients were shown a video, given a presentation on prevention, and sent home with materials regarding lead.

In Arizona, EPA is working with the state Department of Health Services to educate residents about the dangers of childhood lead poisoning. The department's community health workers are providing information to parents about health risks to children from exposure to lead-based paint and related hazards, such as lead-contaminated dust and soil.

Three-quarters of reported lead poisoning cases in Arizona are Hispanic children. Reaching this community is a major goal of the city of Phoenix and EPA's regional Lead Program. The EPA recently awarded ADHS a grant for this agency to screen 5,000 young children to determine their blood-lead levels. EPA also works with the city on childhood lead poisoning prevention education. Phoenix's program informs the public of the dangers, and abates lead hazards in homes. During the past year, the city abated hazards in 170 housing units.

Toxic Substances Control Act Grants for Tribes

Lead Grants

Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention (CLPP) Grants
For federally recognized indian tribes and federally recognized tribal consortia

Targeted Grants to Reduce Childhood Lead Poisoning
Two EPA Region 9 grantees are Arizona Department of Health Services and a non-profit organization, Family Counseling Agency of Tucson (Tucson, AZ)

Grants Awarded

News releases
Colorado River Indian Tribes awarded $125,000 to determine potential extent of lead-based paint hazards

California’s Torres Martinez Tribe awarded $75,000 federal grant to determine the potential extent of lead-based paint hazard

EPA provides grant funding to federally-recognized Indian tribes under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for three main tasks:

to inform tribal residents, including parents of small children and educational personnel, about lead-based paint and lead’s health effects;
to conduct blood-lead screening of tribal children in order to identify children having elevated blood-lead levels; and
to conduct baseline assessments of tribal homes where young children live and at child-occupied tribal facilities to evaluate the extent of lead-based paint and lead hazards.

The EPA recently awarded lead grants to the Torres-Martinez Tribe (in Southern California), the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe (in Nevada), and the Colorado River Indian Tribes (in Arizona and California) to conduct educational outreach on the hazards of lead-based paint, and to test for lead hazards at tribal homes and facilities. EPA's grant to the Torres-Martinez Tribe also provides funding to test for lead in domestic tap water at tribal homes and facilities.

The EPA's grant to the Colorado River Indian Tribes emphasizes testing for lead hazards at tribal homes with young children showing elevated blood-lead levels. The EPA has also provided funding to the following tribes for blood lead testing of children: the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California; the Yurok Tribe (California); the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians (California); and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe (Nevada).