[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 17, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9498-S9499]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. OBAMA (for himself, Mr. Schumer, and Mrs. Clinton):
  S. 1811. A bill to amend the Toxic Substances Control Act to assess 
and reduce the levels of lead found in child-occupied facilities in the 
United States, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Environmental and Public Works.
  Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, I rise today to reintroduce the Lead 
Poisoning Reduction Act.
  Two weeks ago, the Washington Post featured an article on lead 
research by the economist Rick Nevin. Mr. Nevin's work demonstrates a 
strong link between lead exposure and criminal activity in our country. 
Specifically, he found that national spikes in rates of children with 
lead poisoning were significantly correlated with spikes in criminal 
activity two decades later. Notably, this finding was not unique to the 
U.S., he found a similar association in 9 other countries, despite 
differences in economics, demographics, and values. Although many 
readers, myself included, were surprised by Nevin's findings, the 
scientific community was not, having known for many years that lead 
poisoning leads to irrevocable, toxic effects on brain development of 
young children. These effects lead to changes such as impulsivity and 
impaired cognition, which appear to contribute to criminal behavior in 
later years.
  Mr. Nevin's work underscores the critical importance of eliminating 
lead poisoning in children, which is completely preventable and has 
tragic consequences. In the U.S., over 300,000 children have blood lead 
levels of 10

[[Page S9499]]

micrograms or higher, the level traditionally considered to indicate 
``lead poisoning''. Yet, even this level is now considered unsafe as 
newer research has indicated that lead-related damage starts at much 
lower levels. We must remain vigilant in tackling all sources of lead 
exposure, to save future generations of children from harm, and the 
Lead Poisoning Reduction Act will help to do just that.
  The major source of lead exposure among U.S. children is lead-based 
paint and lead-contaminated dust found in deteriorating buildings. The 
Lead Poisoning Reduction Act will provide $42.6 million in grants to 
communities that wish to develop and implement lead amelioration 
programs for their childcare facilities. It directs EPA to promulgate 
regulations within 18 months that require new child-occupied facilities 
to be certified lead-safe before opening for business. Additionally, 
EPA would also promulgate regulations within 5 years of enactment to 
require that all non-home-based childcare facilities be lead-safe. 
Further, my bill requires EPA to conduct a study of State, tribal and 
local programs designed to protect children from lead exposure in 
child-occupied facilities; to establish baseline studies, based on the 
results of this study; and to create a model program, that can be 
adapted for use by State, tribal and community officials, for testing, 
abatement, and communication of risks of lead to children and parents.
  Reducing lead hazards in our communities, especially in child-
occupied facilities, is critical, with impact reaching beyond 
individual children in preschools in any given city, to our society as 
a whole. It is the right thing to do, and the smart thing to do, and it 
should have been done years ago.
  I call on my colleagues to support the Lead Protection Reduction Act, 
which will help to ensure that every child has access to safe, lead-
free childcare facilities in this Nation.
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