Allegheny County Health Department awards grants to 10 groups for lead education

The Allegheny County Health Department has awarded nearly $44,000 in grants to help 10 Pittsburgh-area organizations raise awarement about the risks of lead exposure.

The groups plan to hold workshops, meetings and go door-to-door to share information about how to prevent and reduce lead exposure from multiple sources, a news release said.

Lead exposure from paint, water and soil are all potential threats to county residents.

Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority samples have exceeded a federal lead threshold since summer 2016. In addition, about 90 percent of residences in Allegheny County were built before 1978, when lead paint was banned.

Activities will take place from February to July and focus on neighborhoods where residents are more likely to be at risk, including Mon Valley municipalities, McKees Rocks and portions of the East End, North Side and South Hills, the release said.

The department selected those areas based on data that show where the most children younger than 5 live, where the most children with elevated lead levels live, poverty levels and other factors.

Lead, a neurotoxin that can impair brain development, is most harmful for children younger than 6 and pregnant women.

The organizations will also educate residents about a county rule requiring all children to undergo blood lead testing at ages 1 and 2 that took effect Monday. The department will collect that data from county schools in October.

“We are excited to partner with these organizations to boost education about lead safety in our community, and to better ensure that information gets into the hands of those who need it most,” Dr. Karen Hacker, department director, said in the release. “Harmful lead exposure from multiple sources is a reality in our county, and educating the public about the risks is a priority. We expect that this funding of investment will result in even larger returns.”

The grants are available thanks to a $300,000 grant the department received from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation in May.

The organizations chosen to receive grants are:

• Circles of Greater Pittsburgh — Mon Valley: $6,000

• Clairton Cares, Inc.: $4,000

• Consumer Health Coalition: $3,000

• Environmental Occupational & Public Health Consultants Inc.: $4,500

• Homewood Children's Village: $3,000

• Perry Hilltop Citizens Council: $5,000

• Pittsburgh Learning Commons: $5,000

• United Somali Bantu Community of Greater Pittsburgh: $2,500

• Women for a Healthy Environment: $4,400

• Youth Enrichment Services: $7,000

Theresa Clift is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-380-5669, tclift@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tclift.