A $3 million federal stimulus grant to prevent lead poisoning in young children may bring about some new jobs but the main goal is to get the widespread lead problem under control. There have been aggressive programs involving removing lead from the environment but it still remains a huge issue in many communities. The $3 million grant will be a big help in preventing lead poisoning which is a major public health problem.
There is a higher concentration of lead in homes built prior to 1940. It is most prevalent in the East and Upper Midwest. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 24 million U.S. homes still contain substantial lead paint hazards, about one in every five.
Lead-based paint and lead contaminated dust are the main sources of exposure for lead in U.S. children. In 1978, lead-based paints were banned for use in housing. There is likely to be some lead-based paint in all houses built before 1978. The deterioration of the paint is what causes the problem.
Children under the age of six are especially prone to lead poisoning due to the face that they put their hands in their mouths frequently. Parents who live in homes built prior to 1978 should assume there is lead paint in the house. This also applies to grandparents homes and daycare operations.
Here are a few lead prevention tips from the CDC
*Talk to your state or local health department about testing paint and dust from your home for lead.
*Make sure your child does not have access to peeling paint or chewable surfaces painted with lead-based paint.
*Pregnant women and children should not be present in housing built before 1978 that is undergoing renovation.
*Create barriers between living/play areas and lead sources. Until environmental clean-up is completed, parents should clean and isolate all sources of lead.
*Regularly wash childrens hands and toys.
*Regularly wet-mop floors and wet-wipe window components. Because household dust is a major source of lead, parents should wet-mop floors and wet-wipe horizontal surfaces every 2-3 weeks. Windowsills and wells can contain high levels of leaded dust.
*Prevent children from playing in bare soil; if possible, provide them with sandboxes.
The $3 million in stimulus money will greatly help the lead issue that is causing illness in so many children. Estimates to fix the lead hazards in a home can be many thousands of dollars that most families cannot afford. However, the cost to educate the public about lead poisoning has been pegged at about $45,000 per child. That number is even higher when it comes to treating the child who has lead poisoning. Treatments to strip the lead from a child's blood is very costly.
The Obama administration told federal agencies to find “shovel ready” projects that could be fast-tracked and fuel them with stimulus funds. The lead poisoning problem was a perfect fit. Many communities will benefit from the stimulus grant for removing lead in homes.
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