To mark National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week — October 20 to 26 — the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized stricter requirements for the identification and cleaning up of lead-based paint dust in homes and childcare facilities constructed before 1978.
The new standards are the most recent action in the Biden-Harris administration’s strategy to protect people from lead exposure. Children are known to be especially vulnerable to lead exposure impacts, which can lead to irreversible, life-long health issues that include lower IQ, behavioral problems and slowed growth, a press release from the EPA said. In adults, lead exposure can cause cancer, a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and other health problems.
The EPA estimated the rule would reduce lead exposure for as many as 1.2 million people annually, of which between 178,000 and 326,000 are children less than six years of age.
“Too often our children, the most vulnerable residents of already overburdened communities, are the most …