Specifically, Schumer said Erie County is applying for $3.4 million in federal funds through HUD’s Lead Based Paint Hazard Control program, and Niagara County is applying for $1.7 million through the same program. Schumer said lead-based paints pose a serious threat to public health in the region, particularly to children and economically disadvantaged residents. The senator hopes the grant will help reduce the danger posed by lead poisoning, and work to ensure that citizens across the county are able to lead safer, healthier lives.
“Lead poisoning is an irreversible, preventable tragedy that can harm children and cause serious learning disabilities for the rest of their lives. We need to do everything we can to eliminate lead from homes in Erie and Niagara Counties, which are vulnerable because so many were built before 1978 when lead paint was banned. Western New York communities have been working tirelessly to rid homes of lead, but they need far more resources to provide safer environments for our residents and children, and particularly our most vulnerable,” said Schumer. “So I am urging HUD to approve this desperately needed $5.1 million in federal funding as soon as possible – because we need to act now and we need to act fast to get toxic lead out of our homes, before it is too late.”
Schumer said the ability to tap these federal resources would greatly help Western New Yorkers combat lead poisoning. With this funding, Erie County estimates that it would be able to better protect nearly 400 vulnerable children through lead hazard education programs and capacity building activities. It would also undertake a risk assessment of more than 200 housing units and complete lead abatements in 180 housing units, both public and private. Niagara County plans to remediate lead in housing units throughout the county in order to better protect vulnerable citizens and enhance the county’s ability to shield hundreds of families from the dangers of lead based problems in private and public housing.
According to the CDC’s 2014 study, approximately 8.3 percent – 2,335 of the 27,934 – of children tested for lead poisoning were diagnosed with blood-lead levels above 5 micrograms per deciliter. In Western New York, 585 children – approximately 13.0% – tested positive for lead poisoning. In addition, according to New York State data in 2000, 42 percent of homes in New York were built before 1950 when lead paint was commonly used. In Erie County, 42.8 percent of the housing stock was built before 1950; in Niagara County, 40.7 percent of housing stock was built pre-1950. Schumer said this underscores the continued need to bolster lead hazard abatement efforts.
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