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EPA Lead Program Grant Fact Sheet
EPA's National Community-Based Lead Grant Program
The National Community-Based Lead Outreach and Training Grants promote efforts to prevent or reduce childhood lead poisoning. In 2008, the Agency awarded nearly $2 million in grant dollars to fund this ambitious program. These grants will fund local efforts to reduce the incidence of childhood lead poisoning in communities with older housing, including community outreach efforts, training and local ordinance development projects. Grant recipients range from city health departments to universities and colleges, community organizations, religious groups, and other non-profit organizations.
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.
For more information about EPA's Lead Program, visit www.epa.gov/lead or call 1-800-424-LEAD.
Ark-Tex Council of Governments
EPA has selected the Ark-Tex Council of Governments (ATCOG) for a National Community-Based Lead Outreach and Training Grant. The ACTOG will partner with Texarkana, Arkansas and Texarkana, Texas and the American Chemical Society (ACS) local chapter at Texarkana College to provide lead outreach and training to low-income segments of these communities on lead poisoning and on how to identify and reduce the likelihood of incidences of elevated blood-lead levels in residents.
ATCOG staff will provide outreach to the communities through brochures, pamphlets, flyers, newspaper articles, TV, radio interviews, and meetings at neighborhood centers. Volunteers from Texarkana College's ACS will hold monthly meetings at the neighborhood centers and speak to various civic organizations about the dangers of lead poisoning. The eight-hour EPA/HUD training course will be provided for renovators, remodelers, and painting contractors on how to work safely in housing with lead-based paint. Work will be done to encourage the development of stronger ordinances and/or codes to address lead hazards and protect children from lead poisoning.