EPA Lead Program

Grant Fact Sheet

Outreach Toolkit for Local
Health Departments

Chicago, Illinois

EPA has selected the University of Illinois
School of Public Health in Chicago, IL for
a Targeted Lead Grant.

The goal of this project is to distribute to
local health departments throughout Illinois
a program to promote lead safe work
practices through local hardware stores and
paint retailers.

The School of Public Health will:

•	Develop a toolkit for health departments
to provide outreach on lead safe work
practices to hardware and paint stores;

•	Provide training and technical support for
those health departments implementing
the outreach plan.

The purpose of the project is to 1) educate
hardware store employees and customers,
particularly do-it-yourselfers and small
contractors, on lead safe work practices;

and 2) bring hardware stores and paint retailers into compliance with the new Illinois law
requiring them to post signs or offer brochures in stores where paint supplies intended for
paint removal are sold.

EPA's Targeted Lead Grants

EPA's Targeted Lead Grant Program funds
projects in areas with high incidences of
children with elevated blood-lead levels in
vulnerable populations. In 2007 the Agency
awarded more than $5.2 Million in grants
under this ambitious program. These
targeted grants are intended to address
immediate needs of the communities in
which they are awarded, and will also
highlight lead poison prevention strategies
that can be used in similar communities
across the country.

EPA's lead program is playing a major role
in meeting the federal goal of eliminating
childhood lead poisoning as a major public
health concern by 2010, and the projects
supported by these grant funds are an
important part of this ongoing effort.
According to the Centers for Disease
Control in 1978 there were 13.5 million
children in the US with elevated blood lead
levels. By 2002, that number had dropped
to 310,000.

For more information about EPA's Lead
Program, visit www.epa.gov/lead or call
the National Lead Information Center at
1-800-424-LEAD.

This outreach program will be built on the success of a current pilot project in the City of
Chicago. The protocol developed can be adapted for specific communities and is expected to
be easily replicable throughout the nation. The program materials will be made available on
the internet so that information on methodology, program implementation and the toolkit will
be available at no charge.

2007 Targeted Lead Grant Program

Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics

www.epa.gov/lead

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