3,100 Children Poisoned by Lead is a Health Crisis, says housing and community advocates
State, federal lawmakers push for lead prevention funding and stronger testing standards

3/7/2016

JERSEY CITY/TRENTON – At a press conference in Jersey City today, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez unveiled a proposal requiring regulations by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the evaluation of lead contaminated dust levels in children be consistent with the Center for Disease Control standards. Also today, state lawmakers considered a similar proposal for the New Jersey Department of Health as well as a measure that funds lead prevention in the state budget. On today’s legislative action, Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey President and Chief Executive Officer Staci Berger issued the following statement:

“NJ has a health crisis in which 3100 children are being poisoned. And those are just the kids we know about. This is a situation that should not be downplayed or ignored. The devastating impact lead has on young children is very serious. It's an entirely preventable but incurable disease. And it demands immediate government intervention at every level because one child exposed to this poison, is one child too many.

“In NJ, we have funding dedicated to protect these children and siphoning those funds is negligence. Kids are going to emergency rooms and then they're sent back to places that are going to make them sick again. It’s time to break the cycle and put those funds back where they belong.

“We applaud State and Federal lawmakers who believe more can and should be done to protect our children. We support their efforts to ensure that children exposed to lead have opportunities to get the treatment and resources they need.”

About the Housing and Community Development Network of NJ
The Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey is the statewide association of more than 250 community development corporations, individuals and other organizations that support the creation of affordable homes, economic opportunities, and strong communities. For more information on the Network, visit www.hcdnnj.org.

For more information:
Nina Arce
(609) 393-3752 x1200
Website: hcdnnj.org
Twitter site: twitter.com/hcdnnj
Facebook site: facebook.com/hcdnnj