Lead Outreach, Partnerships and Grants
- Outreach Campaigns
- Lead Outreach Partnerships in the United States
- International Lead Outreach Partnerships
- Lead Poisoning Prevention Grants
- Environmental Justice
Outreach Campaigns
For Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule Get Lead-Safe Campaign
EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP Rule) requires that firms performing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities and pre-schools built before 1978 have their firm certified by EPA (or an EPA authorized state), use certified renovators who are trained by EPA-approved training providers and follow lead-safe work practices. When the RRP rule became effective in 2010, EPA launched an extensive outreach campaign to inform the tens of thousands of contractors, workers and families about the RRP rule. Outreach materials were sent to contractors, media, large and small hardware stores, trade associations, and others, and included ads, web materials, articles, postcards, brochures, and fact sheets.
Ad Council Lead-Free Kids: Public Service Announcement (PSA) Campaign
This multimedia effort in English and Spanish directed citizens to the campaign's website LeadFreeKids.org
Through the Ad Council, the campaign has secured millions in donated media support in TV, radio, print, and outdoor billboard PSAs, and the effort includes guides for parents, pregnant women, do-it-yourselfers, educators, landlords, contractors or renovators, medical professionals, and the press.
After the campaign launch on April 20, 2010, PSAs were distributed to tens of thousands of media outlets nationwide. Broadcast, print and online stories featuring the campaign aired and ran throughout the country. In addition, the campaign won two prestigious ADDY Awards sponsored by the American Advertising Federation: the gold ADDY in the public service category for TV, and the silver ADDY in the public service category for print.
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week
Annually, EPA observes National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week to highlight and educate parents and children on the dangerous health effects of exposure to lead, especially the hazards of lead paint in older housing. Occurring the last full week in October, Lead Poisoning Prevention Week embraces a different theme each year that underscores the many ways parents can reduce a child's exposure to lead and prevent its serious health effects.
Each year EPA partners with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to collaborate on a theme and develop posters and flyers and other education and awareness tools and events specifically designed to observe Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. Educational events occur that week in communities across the country and EPA posts a web page reminding parents of simple actions they can take and resources they can draw on to protect their children from lead poisoning.
This year, EPA, CDC and HUD observed National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week from October 23-29, 2016. Information and materials can be found here.
Find Lead Poisoning Prevention Week materials for:
Promoting Drinking Water Testing for Lead in Schools and Child Care Facilities
Testing drinking water in schools and child care facilities is important; that's where children spend their day. In this outreach campaign, EPA works with schools, local water utilities, and local public health agencies to implement lead testing of schools' and child care facilities' drinking water, and conducts targeted outreach as part of this effort. In our efforts to promote testing on a national basis, EPA targets underserved communities that have high blood lead levels.
Lead Outreach Partnerships in the United States
Many organizations provide consumers with information on contractors who perform RRP services. EPA has partnered with several of these organizations to promote shared goals of increasing RRP firm certifications and creating awareness of the importance of using lead-safe work practices. EPA and partnering organizations sign a memorandum of understanding to document the parties' intent to pursue specific RRP outreach activities.
The following are current EPA partners for lead renovation, repair, and painting outreach:
- Memorandum of Understanding with Renovation, Repair and Painting Outreach Partner
- Fact Sheet with EPA's Outreach Partner Encouraging Consumers to Use of Lead-Safe Certified Renovators
- Articles
- Memorandum of Understanding with Renovation, Repair and Painting Outreach Partner
- Fact Sheet with EPA's Outreach Partner Encouraging Use of Lead-Safe Certified Renovators
- Article
- Memorandum of Understanding with Renovation, Repair and Painting Outreach Partner
- Blog
International Lead Outreach Partnerships
Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead in Paints (Lead Paint Alliance)
Working though international bodies, EPA often joins with other countries to help solve worldwide environmental problems. One example is the Lead Paint Alliance. Working under the umbrella of its secretariats, the United Nations Environment Programme Exit (UNEP) and the World Health Organization Exit (WHO), the Lead Paint Alliance's overall goal is to prevent children's exposure to lead via paints containing lead and to minimize occupational exposures to lead in paint. The broad objective is to phase out the manufacture and sale of paints containing lead and eventually to eliminate the risks from such paint.
EPA is an active member of the Lead Paint Alliance and serves as the lead sponsor for its Environmental Focal Area, the objective of which is to establish common guidelines on best environmental practices using best available technologies on lead content in paint and on how to minimize or eliminate exposures from lead in paint. As a member of the Lead Paint Alliance, EPA participates in the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of Action.
Find out more information about the International Lead Poisoning Week of Action. Exit
Read more about EPA's role in the Lead Paint Alliance.
Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles
EPA is a partner in the United Nations Environment Programme's Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV), Exit which promotes cleaner fuels and vehicles in developing and transition countries. Along with reducing sulfur in fuels, and promoting cleaner, more efficient vehicles, one of the key elements of the PCFV is the global elimination of lead in gasoline. There are still a few countries left using leaded fuels only, and several that use a mix of leaded and unleaded.
Lead Poisoning Prevention Grants
EPA's lead poisoning prevention grants have provided critical support to local programs across the country in addressing lead poisoning in particularly vulnerable communities. These grants have funded programs like building important partnerships, prioritizing issues, public education and outreach, and more.
Between 2000 and 2010, EPA provided $17.2 million in grant funding for lead poisoning prevention projects. When lead grant funds become available again, EPA will continue to award them through these three programs. EPA is not currently soliciting grants at this time.
Environmental Justice
Pollution has significant economic and human health impacts, particularly on overburdened and low-income communities. EPA's environmental justice programs provide grants and funding to states and communities to address environmental problems such as lead in affected communities.