WASHINGTON D.C., DC — U.S. Senators, including Tim Kaine, introduced legislation on Tuesday which would update lead poisoning prevention measures.
The bill, Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act of 2019, would require the .S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to update its lead prevention measures to reflect modern science and ensure that families and children living in federally-assisted housing are protected from the devastating consequences of lead poisoning.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lead hazards such as dust and chips from deteriorated lead-based paint are the most common source of lead exposure for U.S. children. A 2011 HUD survey found that lead-based paint is in roughly 37 million U.S. homes, 93 percent of which were built before 1978––the year lead-based paint use in housing was banned in the United States.
While the available science for detecting and remediating lead hazards in a home has evolved significantly in the last two decades, federal laws and regulations continue to lag far behind, leaving vulnerable Americans—of whom a disproportionate amount are minorities—at the risk of being exposed lead before any intervention is triggered.
Left unaddressed, lead poisoning can cause long-term and irreversible health, neurological, and behavioral problems in children.
“Passing legislation to ensure children are protected from lead exposure should be a must-pass priority this Congress,” Kaine said. “This bill would mandate rigorous measures to ensure that our children will not be at risk for lead poisoning and the irreversible health problems that come with it.”
The new legislation would ensure families and children living in federally assisted housing are protected from lead poisoning by adopting primary prevention measures like prohibiting the use of visual assessments for low-income housing constructed prior to 1978. The bill would also provide a process for families to relocate on an emergency basis.
The bill would also require landlords to disclose the presence of lead if lead hazards are found in the home.
