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EPA Honors “The Childhood Lead Action Project” of Providence, RI , With Children’s Environmental Health Excellence Award

Release Date: 04/25/2005
Contact Information:

Contact: Sheryl Rosner, EPA Office of Public Affairs, (617) 918-1865, rosner.sheryl@epa.gov

BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Children’s Health Protection recognized “The Childhood Lead Action Project” as one of 15 organizations nationally to receive a 2005 Children’s Environmental Health Excellence Award for its outstanding commitment to protecting children from environmental health risks.

The award was presented in a Washington, D.C. ceremony, on April 21, 2005. The Childhood Lead Action Project received the Excellence Award for its accomplishments in lead poisoning prevention in Rhode Island.

“Lead poisoning is the most common childhood disease in Rhode Island and the Childhood Lead Action Project is a worthy organization to receive this honor,” said Robert W. Varney, EPA’s Regional Administrator. “This organization has helped mitigate lead poisoning in children by successfully educating and advocating for those who are unwittingly exposed to this silent danger.”

“The Childhood Lead Action Project strongly believes in the link between children’s health and their environment,” said Roberta Hazen Aaronson, the nonprofit organization’s Executive Director.

“Our organization is committed to the fight against childhood lead poisoning through community-based education and training, parent empowerment and vigorous advocacy. We believe that taking action is the most effective means to keeping Rhode Island’s children healthy.”

The Childhood Lead Action Project teaches that high levels of lead can cause mental retardation, seizures, coma, and kidney problems and low levels of lead can cause behavior problems, learning disabilities, and lower IQ. African-American, Southeast Asian and Hispanic children are two times more likely to be poisoned by lead.

The most common source of lead exposure to children is from old houses, where lead dust from old paint can be swallowed by young children. Children may also be exposed by lead-tainted soil in yards, playgrounds, or gardens; in food by lead-soldered cans or lead glazed ceramic ware or through drinking water if leached from pipes or lead solder.

For information about childhood lead poisoning and prevention visit EPA’s regional website at: www.epa.gov/region1/topics/pollutants/lead.html, or the Childhood Lead Action Protect call (401) 785.1310 or www.leadsafekids.org.

This was the first year that the Office of Children’s Health Protection held the Children’s Environmental Health Excellence Award program. EPA established the office in 1997 to make the protection of children’s health a fundamental goal of public health and environmental protection in the United States.

EPA also acknowledged the following nine New England organizations with Recognition Certificates for their outstanding efforts in promoting children’s health:

• Asthma Regional Council, Dorchester, MA
• Boston University Superfund Basic Research Outreach Core, Environmental Health Disaster Scenario, Boston, MA
• Center for Children's Environmental Toxicology, New Haven, CT
• Hans Christian Andersen Montessori School, Ingenious Alchemist Club, Bolton, CT
• Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Clean Schools Initiative, Boston, MA
• Norwich Clean Cities, Norwich Community Development Corp., Norwich, CT
• Seventh Generation, Inc., Burlington, VT
• University of Connecticut, How Mother Bear Taught the Children about Lead, West Hartford, CT
• The Youth Conservation Alliance, The Ecology of Technology, Brookline, MA