THE CHALLENGE

Every year the promise of thousands of young children in Pennsylvania is diminished due to lead paint poisoning. Over 11,500 PA children are poisoned every year, yet these are only the children we know about as only 20% of children are tested.

What’s worse is this is an entirely preventable fate.

The time is now to fulfill countless political promises to finally end lead paint poisoning in PA.

The federal government banned lead in paint for use in our homes 40+ years ago, so we think the problem is solved, but tragically it is not.

PA is an old state with 70% of houses built more than 40 years ago, so our windows and walls and railings and baseboards were coated with lead-based paint, and when it chips and flakes and dusts, it can irreversibly injure our children.

Lead poisoning can rob children of their intellect causing brain damage and behavioral and learning problems – problems that follow babies into school and through young adulthood - that can lead to doing poorly in school and increased risk for dropping out of school and involvement in criminal activity.

The majority of the children who are harmed in PA are White. Children of color are disproportionately impacted, however, because they are more likely to live in older properties with deteriorated lead-based paint. Black children are harmed 4 times more and Hispanic children 2 times more than White children.