NEWS RELEASE
October 22, 1999
Michigan Participates in National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week
Michigan Department of Community Health Director James K. Haveman, Jr. announced today that the Department is participating in National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week from October 24-30. More than 7,000 children in Michigan last year were poisoned by lead from peeling paint, lead in house dust and other sources in their homes. It is estimated that five times this number of children go undetected because they have not been tested for lead poisoning.
"Nationally, almost one million preschool age children have enough lead in their bodies to harm them," said Haveman. "Thanks to this national effort and the involvement of many partners and community groups, we'll be bringing messages on lead safety to the people who are in the best position to do something to protect children at risk."
The department is distributing a new brochure entitled Coping with Your Child's Diagnosis of Lead Poisoning. Parents are often devastated after hearing of their child's illness because they learn the poisoning could have been prevented if they had known how. The brochure was created to help parents identify and understand these emotions and take positive steps to care for their lead-poisoned children so that they have the best chance for a healthy and successful future.
In collaboration with 10 local health agencies, the department has made 319 homes lead-safe for Michigan children with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The projects began in 1997 and $5 million has been earmarked from the 1998 Clean Michigan Initiative bond for lead paint hazard control activities to begin in the spring.
"The Department of Community Health has been working on lead poisoning prevention for over 25 years," said Haveman. "We are excited to be working with the national campaign and look forward to coordinating our efforts with other resources to better serve Michigan's citizens."
National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week kicks off a major awareness initiative being unveiled this week by the Campaign for a Lead-Safe America. The national campaign will produce a variety of materials to be distributed locally, including brochures and fact sheets in English and Spanish, and print and radio public service announcements.
Other features of the new awareness initiative include:
A web site, www.lead-safeamerica.net, that provides information on lead safety, updates on campaign activities, links to other resources and an overview of lead poisoning prevention programs around the country.
A national partnership program that leverages the resources of businesses, professional and trade associations, media and other organizations to disseminate and reinforce education messages on lead poisoning prevention.
A community outreach program that coordinates the activities of hundreds of local groups with the overall campaign and its national partners to maximize the impact of all.
For more information about the department's lead programs, call (517) 335-9390. For more information about the national campaign, to receive materials or to become a partner, contact the Campaign for a Lead-Safe America at 1-800-424-LEAD.