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WHITMAN AND NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA ANNOUNCE INITIATIVE TO PROTECT HISPANIC CHILDREN FROM LEAD POISONING

Release Date: 09/17/2002
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Environmental News

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency along with the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) today launched a Lead Poisoning Awareness Campaign to coincide with National Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15- Oct. 15.

The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness among Latino parents of the importance of routine lead screenings for their children. EPA and NCLR first joined efforts in 1999 to raise awareness about lead poisoning in the Hispanic community. This new campaign builds on that ongoing effort to encourage families to have their children tested for lead. EPA is providing $297,000 for the effort. The campaign will include a public service announcement developed by EVS Communications and a wall poster.

“Lead poisoning is a serious problem because it strikes at the most vulnerable in society, our children,” said EPA Administrator Christie Whitman. “Working together in partnership is one of our best tools to achieve real results in reducing the number of Hispanic children who suffer from lead poisoning. Our efforts today will ensure that Hispanic children continue to thrive and contribute to our society for years to come.”

Raul Yzaguirre, President of NCLR, commented “Lead poisoning is not an issue of the past but a real and present danger to millions of children, particularly in the Latino community. Lead poisoning can have serious and profound consequences including hearing loss, learning disabilities and even mental retardation.”

EPA has produced a number of its most important lead poisoning prevention educational materials in Spanish, including the lead disclosure document “Protect Your Family from Lead in the Home” and the brochure, “Fight Lead Poisoning with a Healthy Diet.”

Lead, a highly toxic metal used for many years in products found in and around homes, has been linked to a range of health effects ranging from behavioral problems and learning disabilities, to seizures and death. Children six years old and under are most at risk, because their bodies are growing quickly. Primary sources of exposure to lead for most children include deteriorating lead-based paint, lead-contaminated dust and lead- contaminated residential soil.
EPA has played a major role in addressing these residential lead hazards. Since the 1980s, EPA and its federal partners have phased out lead in gasoline, reduced lead in drinking water, reduced lead in industrial air pollution, and banned or limited lead used in consumer products, including residential paint.

In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Centers for Disease Control, EPA operates the National Lead Information Center, including a toll-free hotline that can be reached at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323). Additional information is available at: https://www.epa.gov/lead/ .

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