Proper testing could prevent 400 children a year in Delaware County from getting lead poisoning, writes Loretta Rodgers for the Daily Times.
Delaware County was recently awarded $2 million in grants to make sure testing is available to families and to landlords that serve low-income individuals.
The county received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for lead remediation in low-income homes where pregnant women and/or children under age 6 live.
That grant will be used with existing funds, giving the county a $2 million arsenal to fight lead-paint poisoning.
“Lead is an urgent threat in Delaware County,” said Beth Dougherty, special projects associate at Public Citizens for Children and Youth and facilitator of Delaware County Lead Prevention Coalition. “It’s hard to believe that we are still talking about this 40 years after lead paint was banned from residential use.”
Delaware County’s lead poisoning statistics are higher than the national average, highest among suburban counties. Lead-based paint remains the main source of childhood lead poisoning.
Four out of five housing units in the county were built before a lead-paint ban went into effect.
Read more about the county’s efforts to combat lead poisoning here.
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