The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering free training on how to develop lead-safe work practices to construction and painting contractors in areas at high risk of lead-based paint.
The program, Enhancing Lead-Safe Work Practices through Education and Outreach (ELSWPEO), launches Children's Health Month and National Lead Paint Prevention Week, Oct. 23 to Oct. 29, the EPA announced Oct 4. The nationwide outreach program to reduce childhood lead exposure also includes guidance to community leaders and members on protecting children from lead exposure, the announcement states.
Lead-awareness curriculum and lead-safe certification training for home renovations, repairs and painting (RRP) will be conducted in communities with known problems with lead exposure and a need for RRP-certified contractors, the EPA states. Training locations include Sacramento, Calif.; Stratford, Conn.; Miami, Fla.; St. Louis, Mo.; Billings, Mont. (with a focus on tribal members); Newark, N.J.; Toledo, Ohio; Loíza and Arecibo, Puerto Rico; and Portsmouth, Va.
“This initiative demonstrates how collaboration between national, state, local and Tribal governments and organizations can protect underserved communities from exposure to toxic chemicals like lead,” Michal Freedhoff, an EPA assistant administrator, said in the announcement. "Many communities across the U.S. are still at risk for lead exposure, and we are committed to lowering and preventing it.”
