Ellison Passes Lead Safety Housing Legislation

Statement

Ellison Passes Lead Safety Housing Legislation

First Update of Child Lead Limitations in Seventeen Years

Congressman Keith Ellison's (D-Minneapolis) bill to protect children from lead exposure living in (HUD) housing passed the House of Representatives in the closing hours of the session. The Lead Safe Housing Act of 2008 (H.R. 6309) requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to update its blood lead intervention regulations to coincide with the standards set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which lowers the mandatory intervention threshold from 20 micrograms of lead to 10 micrograms. The bill passed the House by a voice vote.

"I am pleased my colleagues have joined with me in combating one of the largest environmental hazards affecting children in America today; lead poisoning. It is also one of the most preventable," Ellison stated.

"The last time these lead level regulations were updated was seventeen years ago in 1991. Over 500,000 children's lives were made safer because of those standard revisions. However, the CDC still estimates more than 300,000 children remain vulnerable to the ravages of lead poisoning where they live - and that's 300,000 too many," Ellison said.

"Representative Ellison has been a leader in protecting Minnesota's children from lead poisoning for many years," said Sue Gunderson, Executive Director of CLEARCorps USA (CCUSA). CCUSA is a national nonprofit whose mission is to protect children from childhood lead poisoning and other environmental health risks that can hinder their ability to achieve their full potential. "CCUSA is pleased that Representative Ellison has taken his expertise and passion on this issue to Congress and is now working to protect all of our country's children from the dangerous and permanent affects of childhood lead poisoning. We agree with Representative Ellison when he says that we have made great strides in our country to reduce childhood lead poisoning but that we cannot stop until there are no children left at risk."

Lead poisoning causes destructive physical, intellectual, and behavioral problems, including: weight loss, a decrease in IQ, hyperactivity, lethargy and in some instances, death - according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children of color, and children from low-income families are more likely to live in older homes, and those are the homes that are more likely to contain lead paint.

"Lead continues to plague urban and rural communities alike," stated Karen Monahan, spokesperson for Environmental Justice Advocates of Minnesota (EJAM). "Congressman Ellison's advocacy for low-income children impacted by lead is what we in the environmental justice community expect: a tireless advocacy in pursuit of environmental justice. All people - regardless of race or income - have a right to be free of toxins like lead, and mercury and arsenic for that matter, but especially the youngest and most vulnerable members of our community - children."

"Lead poisoning in any form is personal for me," stated Congressman Ellison. "Last year, one of my constituents, a four year old toddler named Jarnell Brown died because he swallowed a charm on a bracelet that contained dangerous amounts of lead. If comprehensive lead standard legislation were the law of the land, perhaps Jarnell would be celebrating a fifth birthday this year. The Lead Safe Housing Act of 2008, when enacted into law, will help to check completely preventable lead-related tragedies similar to those suffered by Jarnell Brown, his parents and countless other American families," Ellison concluded.

The Senate version of Ellison's bill will be introduced by Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY).

Source