[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 135 (Thursday, October 7, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12245-S12247]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S12245]]
   SENATE RESOLUTION 199--DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 24, 1999, 
  THROUGH OCTOBER 30, 1999, AND THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 22, 2000, THROUGH 
  OCTOBER 28, 2000, AS ``NATIONAL CHILDHOOD LEAD POSONING PREVENTION 
                                 WEEK''

  Mr. REED (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Torricelli, Mr. Reid, Mr. 
Levin, Mr. Wellstone, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. 
Sarbanes, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Chafee, 
Mrs. Boxer, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Graham, 
Mr. Durbin, Mr. DeWine, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. 
Smith of Oregon, Mr. Robb, and Mr. Frist) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 199

       Whereas lead poisoning is a leading environmental health 
     hazard to children in the United States;
       Whereas according to the United States Center for Disease 
     Control and Prevention, 890,000 preschool children in the 
     United States have harmful levels of lead in their blood;
       Whereas lead poisoning may cause serious, long-term harm to 
     children, including reduced intelligence and attention span, 
     behavior problems, learning disabilities, and impaired 
     growth;
       Whereas children from low-income families are 8 times more 
     likely to be poisoned by lead than those from high income 
     families;
       Whereas children may become poisoned by lead in water, 
     soil, or consumable products;
       Whereas most children are poisoned in their homes through 
     exposure to lead particles when lead-based paint deteriorates 
     or is disturbed during home renovation and repainting; and
       Whereas lead poisoning crosses all barriers of race, 
     income, and geography: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the week of October 24, 1999, through 
     October 30, 1999, and the week of October 22, 2000, through 
     October 28, 2000, as ``National Childhood Lead Poisoning 
     Prevention Week''; and
       (2) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
     calling upon the people of the United States to observe such 
     day with appropriate programs and activities.

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to submit a resolution which 
would designate October 24-30, as ``National Childhood Lead Poisoning 
Prevention Week.'' Despite steady progress over the past two decades to 
regulate inappropriate uses of lead, the tragedy of childhood lead 
poisoning remains very real for nearly one million preschoolers in the 
U.S.
  Most children are poisoned in their own homes by deteriorating lead-
based paint and lead-contaminated dust. While lead poisoning crosses 
all barriers of race, income, and geography, most of the burden of this 
disease falls disproportionately on low-income families or families of 
color who generally live in older, poorer quality housing. In the 
United States, children from low-income families are eight times more 
likely to be poisoned than those from high income families. African 
American children are five times more likely to be poisoned than white 
children. Nationwide, almost 22 percent of African American children 
living in older housing are lead poisoned, a staggering statistic, 
particularly given the overall decline in blood lead levels in the last 
decade.
  Unfortunately, many communities have not experienced a major decline 
in blood lead levels. In fact, in some communities, more than half of 
the preschool children are lead poisoned. Baltimore, Providence, 
Philadelphia, Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Chicago all have lead poisoning 
rates that are three to nine times the national average.
  Even low levels of exposure to lead impair a child's ability to learn 
and thrive, causing reductions in IQ and attention span, reading and 
other learning disabilities, hyperactivity, aggressive behavior, 
hearing loss, and coordination problems. These effects are persistent 
and interfere with their success in school and later in life. Research 
shows that children with elevated blood lead levels are seven times 
more likely to drop out of high school and six times more likely to 
have reading disabilities. State health officials believe that the need 
for certain education services is 40 percent higher among children with 
significant lead exposure.
  Mr. President, lead poisoning is entirely preventable, making its 
prevalence among children all the more frustrating. In addition, lead 
poisoning has many dimensions, and therefore we have to tackle it from 
all directions. Specifically, our efforts should include screening and 
treating poisoned children, identifying and removing the source of 
their exposure, educating parents, landlords and entire communities 
about the dangers of lead, and ensuring that resources to address the 
problem are available and accessible to all who need them.
  I have been working on a number of initiatives in the Senate to 
address this problem including urging Senate leaders to provide for 
more funding for lead abatement. Last year, I sponsored an amendment 
that resulted in an increase of $20 million in funding to eliminate 
lead hazards in the homes of young children. This year, the Senate has 
supported a similar figure.
  Also, I have become deeply concerned, along with my colleague Senator 
Torricelli, about recent reports that children at risk for lead 
poisoning are not adequately screened or treated for the disease, even 
if they are enrolled in Medicaid. Although children enrolled in 
Medicaid are three times more likely than other children to have high 
amounts of lead in their blood, the General Accounting Office (GAO) 
recently reported that less than 20 percent of these young children 
have been screened for lead poisoning. Even more disconcerting is that 
half of the states do not have screening policies that are consistent 
with federal requirements. For this reason, we have introduced the 
Children's Lead SAFE Act (S. 1120) to ensure that all children at risk 
of lead poisoning receive their required screenings and appropriate 
follow-up care by holding states accountable.
  Mr. President, I have been working on making important, yet common-
sense, policy changes to ensure that children are screened and treated 
for lead poisoning and to provide critical funding for leadsafe 
housing. Beyond these efforts, I believe we need to take further steps 
to raise pubic awareness about the dangers of lead poisoning. Last 
month, Senator Collins and I hosted a Public Health Subcommittee 
hearing in Rhode Island to highlight the importance of the issue and to 
hear about the successful approaches undertaken by organizations in my 
home state to address the problem. We plan to hold a similar hearing in 
Maine next month. Because lead poisoning is a national problem, we 
believe it deserves national attention.
  That is why Senator Collins and I, along with 26 original co-sponsors 
are introducing this bipartisan resolution that would commemorate the 
week of October 24-30, 1999 as ``National Childhood Lead Poisoning 
Prevention Week.'' Designation of a national week for lead poisoning 
prevention would raise public awareness about the issue and highlight 
the need to protect children from lead poisoning to ensure their 
healthy development.
  The Senate resolution would serve to further our efforts to recognize 
lead poisoning as a national problem and declare lead poisoning 
prevention as a national priority. The proposed resolution would also 
acknowledge the suffering of the many children with lead poisoning and 
their parents whose active involvement individually and through 
grassroots organizations has been instrumental in efforts to reduce 
lead poisoning. The resolution is supported by the Alliance to End 
Childhood Lead Poisoning, the Children's Defense Fund, the 
Environmental Defense Fund, and more than one hundred state and local 
organizations. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that letters of 
support from the Children's Defense Fund and the Alliance to End 
Childhood Lead Poisoning, along with the list of the 100 supporting 
organizations be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                      Children's Defense Fund,

                               Washington, DC, September 27, 1999.
     Hon. Jack Reed,
     Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Reed: I am writing in strong support of 
     resolution to commemorate the week of October 24-30, 1999 as 
     ``National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.''
       Lead poisoning in children can cause learning disabilities, 
     behavioral problems, and at extremely high levels of 
     poisoning, seizures,

[[Page S12246]]

     coma, and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control 
     (CDC), about 890,000 children in the United States have 
     elevated blood lead levels, including one in five African-
     American children living in housing built before 1946. 
     Infants and toddlers are most susceptible because they spend 
     so much of their time with their hands in their mouths--hands 
     that may have been on the floor, on the windowsill, on the 
     wall, along the stairway, places where lead paint particles 
     exist.
       Over 80% of the homes and apartments built before 1978 in 
     the United States have lead-based paint in them. Paint 
     doesn't have to be peeling to cause a health problem; 
     particles can circulate in dust and air circulation systems. 
     Although elevated blood lead levels in children have declined 
     in the last few decades, lead poisoning is preventable; any 
     level of lead poisoning in children is too high.
       Your resolution will highten awareness of this tragic and 
     preventable health problem. I commend your attention to the 
     issue and look forward to working with you to ensure that all 
     children have the chance to grow up healthy and reach their 
     fullest potential.
           Sincerely yours,
     Marian Wright Edelman.
                                  ____

                                                   Alliance to End


                                     Childhood Lead Poisoning,

                                  Washington, DC, October 7, 1999.
     Hon. Jack Reed,
     Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Reed: I am writing in support of your 
     resolution to designate the last week of October ``National 
     Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.'' This measure is 
     supported by over 100 local health departments, housing 
     agencies, community-based organizations and lead poisoning 
     prevention programs from across the country (see attached 
     list).
       Despite steady progress over the past two decades to 
     regulate inappropriate uses of lead, the tragedy of childhood 
     lead poisoning remains very real for nearly one million 
     preschoolers in the United States. Children are most often 
     poisoned in their own homes by lead-contaminated dust from 
     lead-based paint that is deteriorating or disturbed by 
     repainting or renovation projects.
       While lead poisoning crosses all barriers of race, income, 
     and geography, the burden of this disease falls 
     disproportionately on low-income families or families of 
     color, who generally live in older, poorer quality housing. 
     In some communities, more than half of preschool children are 
     lead-poisoned. Even low levels of exposure to lead can impair 
     young children's ability to learn and thrive, causing reduced 
     IQ and attention span, learning difficulties and behavior 
     problems. These effects are persistent and interfere with 
     success in school and later life.
       Formal designation of a national week for lead poisoning 
     prevention will instrumentally advance national, state, and 
     local efforts to educate communities about the threat of lead 
     to children. Thank you again for supporting designation of 
     the last week of October ``National Childhood Lead Poisoning 
     Prevention Week.''
           Sincerely,
                                                         Don Ryan,
                                               Executive Director.


                                members

       Alabama State CLPPP, Montgomery, AL.
       Alliance To End Childhood Lead Poisoning, Washington, DC.
       Anne Arundel Co. Department of Health, Annapolis, MD.
       Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, 
     Dearborn, MI.
       Association of Parents to Prevent Lead Exposure, Cleveland, 
     OH.
       Baltimore City Health Department, Baltimore, MD.
       Bethel New Life, Inc., Chicago, IL.
       Brooklyn Lead Safe House, Brooklyn, NY.
       California State CLPPP, Oakland, CA.
       California State Dept. of Community Services and 
     Development, Sacramento, CA.
       Center for Human Development, Pleasant Hill, CA.
       Charlotte Organizing Project, Charlotte, NC.
       Chesterfield Health Department, Chesterfield, VA.
       Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, Chicago, IL.
       Childhood Lead Action Project, Providence, RI.
       Citizen Action of New York, Buffalo, NY.
       City of Buffalo Division of Neighborhoods, Buffalo, NY.
       City of Charlotte Neighborhood Development, Charlotte, NC.
       City of Columbus, Columbus, OH.
       City of Fort Worth Public Health Department, Fort Worth, 
     TX.
       City of Providence Mayor's Office, Providence, RI.
       City of Springfield Office of Housing, Springfield, MA.
       CLEAR Corps, Baltimore, MD.
       Cook County CLPPP, Chicago, IL.
       Detroit Health Department; LPPCP, Detroit, MI.
       Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation, 
     Dorchester, MA.
       Douglas County Health Department, Omaha, NE.
       Dover Office of LPPP, Dover, DE.
       Dubuque Housing Services, Dubuque, IA.
       Durham Department of Housing, Durham, NC.
       Duval County Health Department, Jacksonville, FL.
       Economic and Employment Development Center, Los Angeles, 
     CA.
       Ecumenical Social Action Committee, Jamaica Plain, MA.
       Environmental Defense Fund, Washington, DC.
       Esperanza Community Housing Corporation, Los Angeles, CA.
       Greater Minneapolis Day Care Association, Minneapolis, MN.
       Hawaii State Department of Health, Honolulu, HI.
       Healthy Children Organizing Project, San Francisco, CA.
       Houston CLPPP, Houston, TX.
       Houston Department of Health and Human Services, Houston, 
     TX.
       Hunter College Center for Occupational and Environmental 
     Health, New York, NY.
       Indiana State Department of Health, Indianapolis, IN.
       Infant Welfare Society, Chicago, IL.
       Ironbound Community Corporation, Newark, NJ.
       Just a Start Corporation, St. Cambridge, MO.
       Kansas City, MO, Health Department--CLPPP, Kansas City, MO.
       Kentucky State CLPPP, Frankfort, KY.
       LaSalle University Neighborhood Nursing Center, 
     Philadelphia, PA.
       Lead-Safe Cambridge, Cambridge, MA.
       Lead-Safe Cuyahoga, Cleveland, OH.
       Lead Action Collaborative, Boston, MA.
       Lead Poisoning Prevention Education and Training Program, 
     Stratford, NJ.
       LeadBusters, Inc., Kansas City, KS.
       Lisbon Avenue Neighborhood Development, Milwaukee, WI.
       Los Angeles County CLPPP, Los Angeles, CA.
       Malden Redevelopment Authority, Malden, MA.
       Maryland Department of Housing, Crownsville, MD.
       Massachusetts State Housing and Community Reinvestment, 
     Boston, MA.
       Michigan ACORN, Detroit, MI.
       Michigan Department of Community Health, Lansing, MI.
       Michigan League for Human Services, Lansing, MI.
       Minneapolis Lead Hazard Control Program, Minneapolis, MN.
       Missouri Coalition for the Environment, St. Louis, MO.
       Missouri State CLPPP, Jefferson City, MO.
       Montgomery County Lead Hazard Reduction Program, Dayton, 
     OH.
       Mothers of Lead Exposed Children, Richmond, MO.
       National Center for Lead-Safe Housing, Columbia, MD.
       National Health Law Program, Chapel Hill, NC.
       Natural Resources Defense Council, New York, NY.
       New Haven Health Department, New Haven, CT.
       New Jersey Citizen Action, Highland Park, NJ.
       New York City CLPPP, New York, NY.
       Ohio Department of Health, Columbus, OH.
       Palmerton Environmental Task Force, Palmerton, PA.
       Petersburg Health Department, Petersburg, VA.
       Phillips Neighborhood Healthy Housing Collaborative, 
     Minneapolis, MN.
       Phoenix Lead Hazard Control Program, Phoenix, AZ.
       Project REAL--Richmond Redevelopment Agency, Richmond, CA.
       Quincy-Weymouth Lead Paint Safety Initiative, Quincy, MA.
       Rhode Island Department of Health--CLPPP, Providence, RI.
       Rhode Island State Housing, Providence, RI.
       Richmond Department of Public Health--Lead-Safe Richmond, 
     Richmond, VA.
       San Francisco Mayor's Office of Housing, San Francisco, CA.
       Savannah NPCD, Savannah, GA.
       Scott Co. Health Department--CLPP, Davenport, IA.
       South Jersey Lead Consortium, Bridgeton, NJ.
       Southeast Michigan Coalition on Occupational Safety and 
     Health, Detroit, MI.
       St. Louis County Government, Clayton, MO.
       Syracuse Department of Community Development, Syracuse, NY.
       Tenants' Action Group, Philadelphia, PA.
       The Way Home, Manchester, NH.
       United for Change CDC, Washington, DC.
       United Parents Against Lead of Michigan, Paw Paw, MI.
       University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Lead Program, New 
     Bedford, MA.
       University of Nevada at Las Vegas Harry Reid Center, Las 
     Vegas, NV.
       Urban League of Portland, Portland, OR.
       Vermont Public Interest Research Group, Montpelier, VT.
       West County Toxics Coalition, Richmond, CA.
       West Dallas Coalition for Environmental Justice, Dallas, 
     TX.
       Wisconsin State CLPPP, Madison, WI.
       Wyoming Department of Health--Lead Program, Cheyenne, WY.

 Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I am very pleased today to join my 
colleague, Senator Jack Reed, in submitting a resolution designating 
October 24th-30th as National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. 
This designation will help increase awareness of the significant 
dangers and prevalence of child lead poisoning across our nation.

[[Page S12247]]

  Recently, Senator Reed and I held a hearing in Rhode Island to 
address the impact exposure to lead paint can have on children's health 
and development, and to explore ways to improve our efforts to prevent 
and eventually eliminate lead poisoning in children.
  Great strides have been made in the last 20 years to reduce the 
threat lead poses to human health. Most notably, lead has been banned 
from many products including residential paint, food cans and gasoline. 
These commendable steps have significantly reduced the incidence of 
lead poisoning. But the threat remains, and continues to imperil, the 
health and welfare of our nation's children.
  In fact, lead poisoning is the most significant and prevalent 
environmental health threat to children in the U.S. today. Even low 
levels of lead exposure can have serious developmental consequences 
including reductions in IQ and attention span, reading and learning 
disabilities, hyperactivity and behavioral problems. The Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention currently estimates that 890,000 
children aged 1-5 have blood levels of lead that are high enough to 
affect their ability to learn.
  Today, the major lead poisoning threat to children in found in 
interior paint that has deteriorated. Unfortunately, it is all too 
common for older homes to contain lead-based paint. In fact, more than 
half the entire housing stock--and three quarters of the stock built 
prior to 1978--contain some lead-based paint. Paint manufactured prior 
to the residential lead paint ban often remains safely contained and 
unexposed for decades, but over time, often through the remodeling 
process or through normal wear and tear, the paint can become exposed, 
contaminating the home with dangerous lead dust.
  Because of the prevalence of older homes in the Northeast, lead 
poisoning exposure is a significant problem in our region. In Maine, 42 
percent of our homes were built prior to 1950. Although screening rates 
nationally and in my state are considered to be too low, the sampling 
that has been done in my state shows that in some areas of the state 7-
15 percent of children tested have high blood lead levels. In some 
areas of our country, the percentage is even higher.
  Next month, I will hold a hearing in Maine to address the lead-based 
paint threat in our homes, and what parents can do to protect their 
children from the risks associated with lead exposure.
  Once childhood development is impaired by exposure to lead, the 
effect is largely irreversible. However, if the presence of lead is 
detected prior to exposure, then remedial steps can be taken, such as 
lead containment or abatement, to prevent children from ever being 
harmed by lead's presence in the home.
  We are not helpless to stop this insidious threat. By raising 
awareness of the prevalence of lead paint in homes, and the steps that 
can be taken to prevent poisoning, we can stop the life-impairing 
effects of childhood lead poisoning. I urge my colleagues to support me 
in raising awareness about childhood lead poisoning by co-sponsoring 
Childhood Lead Paint Poisoning Prevention Week.

                          ____________________