Press releases
08/05/2022
Governor Lamont signs legislation strengthening childhood lead poisoning standards
(WATERBURY, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont announced today that he has signed the bill into law Public Law 22-49, which will align Connecticut’s standards on childhood lead poisoning with federal standards and help alleviate the associated risks. The governor proposed the legislation earlier this year as part of his package of priorities for the legislative session, explaining that the state needs to do a better job proactively protecting children from lead poisoning .
The governor spoke about the importance of the new law today during an event on the issue in Waterbury, a city where 72 percent of its housing units were built before 1978, making the presence of lead likely now or in the past. Waterbury has embraced the issue of addressing lead in its housing stock over the past few decades by creating a robust remediation program that received $5.7 million in 2020, the largest federal grant possible, for help address this problem. Speaking in front of two homes that were recently remediated for lead, Governor Lamont emphasized the importance of lead remediation programs like the one in Waterbury and a strong partnership between state and local health departments to combat lead poisoning to the children of Connecticut.
“Childhood lead poisoning has catastrophic health and developmental impacts, including irreversible learning and developmental disabilities.” Governor Lamont said. “In particular, this problem has hit minority families and those living in disadvantaged communities more deeply. For too long, the standards for lead testing and treatment in Connecticut have lagged far behind best practices, and I’m glad we’re making these long-awaited updates.”
The newly signed law includes steps that will strengthen early intervention in cases of lead poisoning by gradually lowering the blood lead level that triggers parental notifications and home inspections to more closely align with Centers for Disease Control recommendations of Diseases and the American Academy of Pediatrics. In 2020, 1,024 children in Connecticut had a sufficient concentration of lead in their blood that these organizations would have recommended a home inspection. However, Connecticut law only required 178 investigations.
It will also allow the Connecticut Department of Public Health to require more frequent testing of children who live in cities and towns where lead exposure is more common. These changes will ensure that families of children with unsafe blood lead levels receive appropriate educational materials, that the homes of these children are inspected and repaired when necessary, and that the children themselves receive the care they need. (More data is available on the prevalence of elevated lead levels in Connecticut here.)
Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, said, “The children who are protected by this law are the future, and we need their homes, their schools and the places where they are being cared for to be safe. The damage caused by lead is permanent and we have not done what is in our control to help these young people. Thanks to Governor Lamont, this investment will help local health departments make the changes that will impact the communities that need it most.”
State Rep. Geraldo Reyes (D-Waterbury), chairman of the Puerto Rican and Black Caucus, said“It was past time that Connecticut more actively addressed lead poisoning among children, especially as a matter of equity. Lead poisoning affects black children at twice the rate of white children and Hispanic children one and a half times more than white children. More than half of lead poisoning cases also occur in urban centers like Waterbury, which have an older housing stock and more rental properties. I was proud to co-sponsored this legislation that passed both houses with unanimous bipartisan support and we applaud Governor Lamont for signing it into law so Connecticut can strengthen its capacity for earlier interventions.”
State Rep. Jonathan Steinberg (D-Westport), co-chairman of the Public Health Committee, said“Thanks to our partnership with Governor Lamont, we are finally able to address the longstanding problem of lead poisoning in our state. We are investing the funds needed to both identify the sources and address the problem, protecting the health of our children.”
State Sen. Heather Somers (R-Groton), ranking member of the Public Health Committee, said“This bill is about protecting our most precious asset: our children. In a bipartisan way, we are finally taking a positive step toward protecting the physical and mental health of young children across our state. This bill was a priority and I was a proud co-sponsor.”
The law passed the House and Senate unanimously. Effective January 1, 2023, except for provision relating to lead poisoning prevention and treatment task force, effective upon passage.
In addition to this bill, the budget bill Governor Lamont signed this spring includes $30 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act to be used for management and corrections of main cases. This funding will not only help cover municipal costs associated with the revised standards, but will also help homeowners and homeowners in vulnerable communities undertake lead abatement and remediation projects before a child is harmed. These projects will use local contractors.
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