Homes built prior to 1978 are a particular risk
GOSHEN – The Orange County Office of Community Development administers a lead poisoning prevent program called Lead Safe Orange.
The program is funded by a $2.5 million grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and is geared toward remediation of hazards from lead-based paint before a child becomes poisoned.
The county Office of Community Development can provide funds to eligible landlords and single-family homeowners to renew or replace housing surfaces that have lead hazards including windows and doors.
Households must be income eligible to take advantage of the program. Grants up to $10,000 per home or dwelling unit are available, with a priority placed on dwellings with children under age six who live or visit there.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly half a million children living in the United States have blood lead levels high enough to cause significant damage to their health,” said County Executive Steven Neuhaus. “Even low levels of lead can affect a developing nervous system and cause learning and behavioral problems later in life.”
“Lead has very serious effects on the central nervous system, particularly, in those six years of age and under. Moreover, lead is not good for anyone at any age,” said County Community Development Director Richard Mayfield. “It can collect in the long bones of adults and replace the body’s need for other metals used by the central nervous system. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to our office, as well as our partners at the Orange County Health Department, that we work to remove lead from the environment.”
