Overbroook Center set stage for Senator announcement to secure funds to combat lead poisoning

Efforts to combat childhood lead poisoning in Philadelphia have been boosted by $125,000 in state funding.

State Sen. Vincent Hughes announced that the funding was secured from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development on Thursday.

The Overbrook Environmental Education Center in West Philadelphia will receive a $35,000 grant to train 150 contractors on how to renovate old homes without creating lead hazards.

Philadelphia will receive $90,000 toward the city’s efforts to remediate lead in homes.

The lead crisis in Flint, where children were exposed to the toxin by drinking water, helped thrust the issue of lead poisoning back in the spotlight.

“The only thing good out of the lead crisis in Flint is that folks around the country started paying more attention to lead,” Hughes said. “It re-energized the public policy conversation that was around back in the 70s and early 80s.” Hughes cited state data showing there are 18 cites in Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, with higher lead level exposures than Flint.

The high levels are due to lead-based paints in Pennsylvania’s old housing stock that were built before 1978. “So what that means is that we’ve got to come up with a statewide response,” Hughes said.

He plans to introduce legislation next year that create a large funding source for at the state level to remediate housing stock contaminated by lead. Under the legislation, $250 million in state funding would be dedicated for lead-paint remediation efforts.

“We believe the state shoul