August 8, 2001 - Strategic Government Business Consulting (SGBC) Group, located at 200 West Third Street in the Riverbender.com building, received a Small Business Innovative Research Grant for $150,000 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEH) for the Phase I development of a portable instrument for chemifluorescent detection of lead in dust. The objective of this project is to provide easier and more widespread detection of lead in house dust and increased quality assurance on lead cleaning effectiveness.
About 10,000 children are clinically poisoned annually, and their primary exposure route is through ingestion of house dust containing lead from deteriorated lead-based paint according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). An estimated $8,000 in medical treatment costs are incurred for every poisoned child and the discounted cost to society of a single lead poisoned child with relatively high exposure exceeds $40,000. This figure includes medical costs, special education costs, and lost future income.
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According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), lead abatement procedures need to be performed in 57 million residential units at the average cost of $10,000 per unit to abate lead hazards nationwide. This $570 billion estimate accounts for residential structures and does not reflect another estimated $500 billion for commercial facilities. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has estimated the cost to average $7,700 per dwelling when HUD procedures are followed; however, this estimate does not include testing (
$375), the cost of temporary relocation during abatement, or waste disposal costs.
SGBC Group (http://www.sgbcgroup.com) is headquartered in Alton, Illinois and specializes in government business development and technology transition.
