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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.
University of Southern Mississippi
EPA has selected the University of Southern Mississippi for a National Community-Based Lead Outreach and Training Grant. The University of Southern Mississippi will partner with community organizations, local businesses, Head Start, area Realtors, building supply stores and the National Paint and Coatings Association to provide lead poisoning awareness activities for low income, primarily African-American populations living in older housing in Hattiesburg, MS. This community has a high proportion of children with elevated blood lead levels.
This grant will promote healthy kids by conducting community-based outreach concerning childhood lead poisoning prevention, by conducting community-based training activities on childhood lead poisoning prevention, and by developing infrastructure within the city of Hattiesburg to encourage and promote lead-safe work practices by contractors, local businesses, owners of rental property and Realtors.