Volume 153, No. 116 covering the 1st Session of the 110th Congress (2007 - 2008) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“INTRODUCTION OF THE LEAD POISONING REDUCTION ACT” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1567 on July 19, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCTION OF THE LEAD POISONING REDUCTION ACT
______
HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER
of new york
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, today I am pleased to introduce the Lead Poisoning Reduction Act, a bill that will remove toxic lead hazards from childcare facilities, and put an end to an entirely avoidable public health crisis. It is critical that Congress provide our communities the tools necessary to make the places where our children spend their time safe and defend them from the dangers that exposure to lead poses to their health.
Exposure to lead is not safe for anyone, but children are most vulnerable among us. Even the slightest amounts of lead can do serious, irreparable damage because their bodies and minds are still in developmental stages. Among many other things, lead poisoning can cause learning disabilities, brain damage, organ failure, coma and even death in children. Despite the knowledge of the risks associated with exposure to lead hazards and the availability of tools that can prevent more children from suffering from lead poisoning, 310,000 American children are affected every year.
Unfortunately, lead poisoning remains a threat to our children in places where they ought to feel the most safe--our childcare facilities. According to a report from the Environmental Protection Agency, nearly 12 million children under the age of five spend 40 hours a week in childcare. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has reported that approximately 14 percent of licensed childcare centers across the U.S. have hazardous levels of lead-based paint. Children attending daycare centers in the Northeast and Midwest are at a greater risk of being exposed to lead hazards, as 40 percent of the childcare facilities in those regions were built before 1960.
In addition to lead hazards posed by paint at childcare facilities, these old buildings are home to corroded pipes and water lines which are also sources of lead exposure. A parent should not have to worry about their child consuming lead when their thirsty child visits a drinking fountain.
Our childcare professionals must have the tools they need to guard our children from lead poisoning. The Lead Poisoning Reduction Act would establish a Select Group on Lead Exposure comprised of experts from the National Institute of Environmental Health Science, the Administration for Children and Families, the National Institute of Child Heath and Human Development, the Secretary of Education, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Select Group will conduct a study of child-occupied facilities created before 1978 and develop baseline standards that facilities must meet to receive grants under this Act. To help childcare facilities comply with the new lead-
safety standards, the bill establishes a grant program to defray associated costs. Finally, the Act requires that all contractors hired for repair, renovations, or reconstruction of childcare facilities be provided with educational materials about lead hazards and the guidance necessary to avoid imposing additional risks.
The Lead Poisoning Reduction Act fills a major gap in our national policy to eradicate lead poisoning by 2010 by providing the guidance and resources need to protect our children from lead hazards in their childcare facilities.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Lead Poisoning Reduction Act.
____________________
Alerts Sign-up