WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the Environmental Justice Toolkit for Lead Paint Enforcement Programs. The Toolkit provides strategies, examples, and other information for federal, state, Tribal and local government enforcement practitioners to use during all stages of environmental enforcement and compliance monitoring activities designed to eliminate harmful exposures to lead paint in housing. This resource is a compilation of best practices and supports commitments made in EPA’s Lead Strategy, which seeks to reduce lead exposures locally with a focus on underserved communities and promote environmental justice through a whole of government approach.
“The science is clear, there is no safe level of exposure to lead, and health impacts from exposure to lead-based paint continue to be a significant problem in the United States, particularly in underserved and overburdened communities,” said Larry Starfield, EPA Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “This Toolkit is an important new resource for enforcement personnel working with communities to reduce lead exposures.”
More than 34 million homes in the US have lead paint somewhere in the building. Of those homes, an estimated 3.3 million have children less than six years of age facing one or more lead-based paint hazards, including over 2 million low-income households. Over 1 million children in the US suffer from irreversible impacts from lead poisoning including reduced intelligence, behavioral and learning disabilities; new cases continue to be diagnosed every year. Adults with exposure to lead can develop symptoms such as high blood pressure, memory loss and reduced motor skills.
The Toolkit includes strategies for developing partnerships, conducting community engagement, and maintaining ongoing communication with the communities where enforcement activities are planned or ongoing; it provides methods for how to target inspections in overburdened communities; and information and examples on remedies available that enhance environmental justice. Recent examples of lead paint enforcement actions that exemplify these strategies include:
- An administrative settlement agreement that includes $2 million of lead-based paint abatement work in lower-income properties located in Chicago and Chicago suburbs in communities with a higher incidence of childhood lead poisoning.
- A Richmond Contractor sentenced to one year for federal lead paint law violations.
- Lead paint abatement projects completed in Fort Worth, Texas communities resulting from EPA’s settlement with HGTV’s “Texas Flip N Move.”
Learn more about EPA’s efforts to reduce lead exposure.
Members of the public can help protect children from lead paint by identifying and reporting lead paint violations.