HUD proposes lowering acceptable lead level for children

By: Rebecca Turco

Email: rturco@abc6.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The nation’s top housing official is proposing lowering the level of lead that must be detected in children’s blood before triggering federal action to clean up the homes where they live.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro made the announcement Wednesday after touring Providence homes where lead paint hazards were cleaned up using federal funds.

The proposal would reduce the level that triggers an environmental investigation of a home from 20 micrograms per deciliter of blood to five.            

Castro says that after a 60-day public comment period, the proposed change could affect nearly 3 million subsidized housing units built before the 1978 lead paint ban.

It would align HUD limits with recommendations made in 2012 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nearly 1,000 children entering kindergarten in Rhode Island have elevated levels of lead exposure, according to the state Department of Health.

“We’ve made progress but until every child is living in a lead-free environment, we’re not going to stop," said Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI).

© WLNE-TV/AP 2016