Lead Aware Philly

Thousands of Philadelphia children are diagnosed with lead poisoning annually. For the past decade, the Overbrook Environmental Education Center has worked, along with partners such as The Academy of Natural Sciences, University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, and the USEPA to understand the extent of residential lead exposure, its causes, community awareness, and potential solutions in Philadelphia, in particular our West Philadelphia service area zip codes: 19131, 19139, and 19151.

Surveying revealed most residents were unaware that lead poisoning is more likely to come from lead dust than drinking water, that lead paint should be assumed in homes built prior to 1978, that most Philadelphia homes were built prior to 1978, and that they should be hiring certified lead-safe contractors to perform Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) work in these homes.

Current work continues to build community awareness, increase the number of lead-safe certified contractors, and develop legislative & regulatory solutions.