Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Projects, State and Local Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention and Surveillance of Blood Lead Levels in Children

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a. Overview An estimated 535,000 children in the United States have blood lead levels (BLLs) at or above the reference value for blood lead established by CDC in 2012 (5 µg/dL). Of these, 150,000 children’s levels are ≥10µg/dL. These children are at grave risk for the intellectual, behavioral, and academic deficits caused by lead. The primary source of lead exposure for children is their homes; some 38 million homes in the United States have lead-based paint hazards that can result in childhood lead poisoning. Low-income and minority children bear a disproportionate burden of this condition caused by unhealthy housing. In addition, some areas of the United States report that as many as 35% of children identified with high BLLs are exposed to lead via sources other than lead-based paint in their homes (e.g., such as items decorated or made with lead and drinking water). Public health action is needed to support activities to reduce childhood lead poisoning and to better understand the impact of blood lead levels in children. b. Statutory Authorities This program is authorized under Sections 317(k)(2) and 317(A) of the Public Health Service Act, (42 U.S.C. Sections 247b(k)(2) and 247b-3(b)), as amended. c. Healthy People 2020 The National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) of CDC within HHS is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of “Healthy People 2020” found at https://www.healthypeople.gov/. This NOFO is committed to the Healthy People 2020 lead-related goals of reducing: (1) blood lead levels above CDC’s current reference level, and (2) mean blood lead levels in young children, as well as disparities in blood lead levels based on race, ethnicity and gender as public health concerns. This NOFO also addresses the Healthy People 2020 focus areas of Maternal, Infant and Child health, Injury and Violence Prevention, and Environmental Health. Through the surveillance activities of its awardees, CDC will be able to quantify mean BLLs in children and the percent of children with BLLs above CDC’s current reference value. Recipients will target population-based interventions to areas of highest risk based on surveillance data analyses. These activities are essential for CDC to meet its long-term goals of eliminating elevated BLLs. d. Other National Public Health Priorities and Strategies Preventing high blood lead levels in children is a critical component of the Office of the Surgeon General’s “Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes,” which describes the steps that should be taken to eliminate childhood lead poisoning through the elimination or control of lead hazards before children are exposed. Additional information can be found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44200/#cta-home.sec3.s17. This NOFO also supports the National Prevention Strategy’s Healthy and Safe Community Environments, which focuses on supporting healthy housing while addressing unsafe housing conditions and health-related hazards. Additional information can be found at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/initiatives/prevention/strategy/healthy-and-safe-community-environments.html e. Relevant Work The Lead Contamination Control Act of 1988 authorized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to initiate program efforts to eliminate childhood lead poisoning in the United States. The CDC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program was created as a result of this act. In 1990 to 2011, CDC awarded funds to state and local health departments to support childhood lead poisoning prevention programs. In 2009, with congressional acknowledgement, this mission was expanded to include a healthy homes initiative that addressed multiple childhood diseases and injuries in the home but with a continued focus on reaching the Health People goal of eliminating childhood lead poisoning. In 2014, NCEH awarded 3-year funding for lead poisoning prevention programmatic activities under CDC-RFA-EH14-1408PPHF14 financed solely by Prevention and Public Health Funds. In 2017, NCEH awarded 3-year funding for lead poisoning prevention programmatic activities under CDC-RFA-EH17-1701PPHF17 financed partially by Prevention and Public Health Funds.

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