Fellow Illinoisans,
The Flint water crisis served as a wakeup call to all of us about how important it is to make certain we have proper protections in place when it comes to lead contamination. My heart goes out to the people of Flint, and I’m hopeful the Senate will act to help their city – it’s the right thing to do.
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We must also recognize that children all across America are being poisoned every day by lead, and we need to provide the necessary resources to protect these families.
Click here to watch me speak on the national lead epidemic.
A recent Chicago Tribune article exposed a critical disparity between the lead-based paint standard for public housing – Section 8 and other federally subsidized housing – and levels recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC calls for a public health intervention when a child’s blood level is 5 micrograms of lead per deciliter. Under current regulations at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the lead-based paint standard is four times the CDC-recommended level.
Lead poisoning can cause irreversible and long-term health, neurological, and behavioral damage in children. Children with lead poisoning require ongoing medical treatment and special education services, and studies have demonstrated the profound impact of childhood lead poisoning on outcomes such as school graduation rates.
If you believe we should update HUD standards to protect American children from dangerous exposure to lead, click here to share my tweet.
I joined with Senator Menendez and Representatives Keith Ellison, Mike Quigley, Brenda Lawrence, and Dan Kildee to introduce the Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act. Our bill would ensure that federal lead standards are updated in accordance with the best available science, and adopt primary prevention measures to protect children from lead exposure in low-income housing.
By updating HUD’s regulations, we can protect the most vulnerable children from the harmful, irreversible effects of lead poisoning. American children are depending on this legislation – it can’t wait.
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