Though lead-based paint was banned in the late 1970s, lead still remains in the paint of roughly 37 million structures in the United States — and it's extremely harmful to people's health, especially growing children.
On Friday, the federal government announced two grants to help remove the paint and make homes in low-income neighborhoods healthier.
Together, the grants through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development total $568 million and focus on mitigating other harmful substances too, such as carbon monoxide, mold, radon and asbestos, as well as improving fire safety, the agency told USA TODAY in an exclusive.
“Lead is still ubiquitous in our environment,” said Tiffany Sanchez, an environmental epidemiologist at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.
Low-income, urban communities of color have long suffered disproportionate lead exposures.
“This results in environmental injustice,” Sanchez said. “It’s unacceptable that so many are still exposed.”
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Experts say they’re watching to see how initiatives will play out and what funds will come next to sustain efforts. Here's what to know.
What are the dangers of lead?
Lead is particularly harmful to children. Due to their rapid development, children who are exposed to lead may suffer major developmental delays and long-term, significant harm to the brain and nervous system.
Even at low levels of exposure, lead can slow growth and cause learning, behavior and speech problems in children, research shows. Studies tie elevated lead levels to lower IQ, decreased focus, and even violent crime and delinquency.
“Substandard housing results in a range of environmental exposures, including lead-based paint hazards amongst many others,” said Mount Sinai pediatrician Dr. Maida Galvez, founding director of the New York State Children’s Environmental Health Center.
Who is most at risk?
Urban children living in poverty and low-income communities of color are at the greatest danger, experts say.
Black children are three times more likely to have high lead levels in their blood than white children, according to the National Academy for State Health Policy.
Your pediatrician should screen your child's blood for lead, and you can check with your local health department's environmental health division for mitigation information.
More than $500M in funds: What to know about the HUD grants
The announcement comes a year after the Biden administration issued the Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan and follows federal dollars from the administration’s Infrastructure Law that includes lead service line removal funding. In 2021, experts and advocates criticized the $15 billion allocation – down from a proposed $45 billion – saying the funds weren’t enough for the costly and complicated removal process of lead service lines.
Here's how these grants will be broken down:
►Roughly $165 million are open to public housing agencies, the largest investment in health and safety grants for public housing to date, the agency says, combining federal dollars from the Housing-related Hazards Capital Fund and the Lead-Based Paint Capital Fund programs.
►Under HUD’s Lead Hazard Reduction Grant Program, another $403 million are open to state and local government applicants for homeowners to improve safety in homes built before 1978. This grant is intended for homes owned by low-income families and owners of rentals that house low-income families, said Warren Friedman, senior adviser at the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes.
The funding amounts are based on congressional appropriations passed in prior years that have now become available, an agency spokeswoman said.
When and how can agencies apply?
Friedman told USA TODAY applicants will need to describe the developments where they plan to implement the funds and how they will follow through with the changes.
State and local governments have until March 14 to apply online at grants.gov. The deadline for public housing agencies is April 13, the agency said.
Why is lead removal such a big problem?
Lead paint remediation is a complex process that can be costly for low-income homeowners, said Galvez.
“The families that we serve oftentimes do not have the resources to fix those problems,” she said. “And they worsen.”
Older buildings are harder to maintain, leading to more breakdowns that lead to exposures.
“What makes lead-based paint dangerous is when it comes off the wall, and that happens when there’s ... struggles to maintain that housing in good quality.”,” said Mount Sinai pediatrician Dr. Perry Sheffield, who co-directs the New York center with Galvez. “There’s a leak, or a flood, or ongoing ventilation issue that causes a moisture problem, or just general breakdown.
“That’s the cycle that’s really hard to break.”
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Reach Nada Hassanein at [email protected] or on Twitter @nhassanein_.
