EARTHKEEPING NEWS A NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY Volume One, Number Three January/February 1992 Call to Action: Let's Get the Lead Out! The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Health and Human Services have declared lead poisoning to be the number one environmental health hazard to American children. From early 1920s to 1985, millions of tons of lead, used as a gasoline additive, were spewed out of automobile tailpipes into the streets and soils of America. 57 million American homes still have 3 million tons of lead in paint applied before 1978, which not only chips and peels and is injested by children, but produces a toxic dust which is inhaled by everyone around. And old houses have lead pipes that contaminate drinking water. Lead poisoning (defined as more than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood) causes permanent neurological damage, and impairs the learning ability of millions of preschoolers. Poor children have the highest rates of lead poisoning and are the least able to protect themselves. HR 2922 - Excise Tax on Lead Current federal, state and local spending for lead abatement is minimal. H.R.2922, The Lead-Based Paint Hazard Abatement Act sponsored by Rep. Cardin (D - MD), calls for an excise tax on lead to establish a Trust Fund for states and cities addressing the most intractable source of high dose exposure: deteriorating paint in low income housing and child care centers. The structure of the tax will provide strong incentives for two major environmental goals: recycling of, and substitution for, lead. HR 2840 - Lead Contamination Control Act This bill, sponsored by Rep. Waxman (D-CA), requires an opportunity for home buyers to arrange an inspection for lead hazards before purchase; it mandates inspection at the time of rental; it requires certification that abatement contractors are adequately trained; and it closes major loopholes in EPA regulations on lead in drinking water. S 391, in the Senate has similar inspection and certification provisions, and also .restricts certain uses of lead for which substitutes are available. The product restriction provisions are covered separately in House bill HR 3554. Be an advocate for children! Let your Congress persons know of your support for adequate clean up and prevention of lead poisoning! For more information, write or call Chris Aamodt, Environmental Care For The World, 812 S. Ivy St., Arlington, VA 22204. (703) 486-2870. A LEGISLATIVE PHONE TREE Environmental Care for the World, a new religiously based organization, will be following national legislation closely. At critical times it will activate a phone tree. If you are willing to participate in the phone tree network, send your name, address, phone numbers (home and office) and congressional district to: Environmental Care For the World 812 S. Ivy, Arlington, VA 22204 phone (703) 486-2870. Home     Table of Contents