Eliminating Lead Risks in Schools and Child Care Facilities: A United and Urgent Call to Action for Children

Eliminating lead risks in PK-12 public and private schools was the focus of a facilitated workshop co-sponsored and organized by Healthy Schools Network, the Children's Environmental Health Network, and the Learning Disabilities Association of America. Held December 6-7, 2017, in Washington, DC, it included some 40 participants. They were experts in varied fields--toxic chemicals, children's health, economics, education, environment, and public health--who came together for the first time to learn, discuss, and map near-term steps in a comprehensive strategy for eliminating lead exposure in schools and child care facilities. The workshop took place against the backdrop of new federal efforts on lead, including a 2016 updated inventory of federal lead prevention programs. A study by economist Corwin Rhyan, one of the keynote speakers, recognizes that lead poisoning of children is preventable and that eliminating all exposures to lead could save the nation as much as $84 billion annually. With these factors in mind, participants created an urgent public-private strategy to address all sources of lead in schools and child care facilities. The following is a list of workshop findings that informed this strategy: (1) No amount of lead is safe for any child; (2) Lead poisoning is preventable; (3) Children of color and children from low-income communities experience greater exposures to lead hazards than other children; (4) Lead poisoning of American children is an urgent issue costing the nation as much as an estimated $84 billion annually; (5) Lead poisoning erodes our future as an economically competitive nation; (6) Public- and private-sector agencies and entities must work together to end risks of lead in school and child care facilities; (7) There are existing programs and campaigns to build on or expand new strategic efforts that must be taken up; and (8) Lead embedded in paint, water, products, and equipment associated with school and child care facilities must be addressed with united advocacy campaigns, new public and private resources, and new federal and state programs. This report documents participants' goals and plans to eliminate lead risks, focused on the need to: (1) Develop a strategic framework to eliminate lead risks in schools and child care environments; (2) Draft implementation plans and identify activities that can be collectively advanced; and (3) Motivate participants to work together toward this common agenda. After the workshop process, seven strategic areas emerged as priorities: (1) Winning policies to eliminate sources of lead risks in schools and child care facilities; (2) Improvement, promotion, and enforcement regulations and standards for these settings; (3) Encouraging or persuading the private sector to commit to lead-free solutions; (4) Identification and prioritization of sources of lead in schools and child care facilities; (5) Pressing for increased government funding to eliminate lead exposures at school and child care facilities; (6) Development of a strong message and communications campaign on lead for diverse audiences; and (7) Seeking expanded foundation and other sources of support for NGO campaigns and actions to eliminate risks of lead in school and child care facilities. A keynote address by Bruce Lanpear, and the workshop agenda are included. [The Children's Environmental Health Network also hosted this collaborative workshop. The report was supported by the Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts.]