Bill Clinton: “I join my colleague, Senator Obama, in support of the Lead Poisoning Reduction Act of 2006. This legislation would close…”

“I join my colleague, Senator Obama, in support of the Lead Poisoning Reduction Act of 2006. This legislation would close an important gap in primary prevention strategies by providing critical resources to make all nonhome-based childcare facilities and Head Start Programs lead-safe within 5 years. Lead is highly toxic and continues to be a serious, persistent, and entirely preventable threat to the health and well-being of our children. Lead poisoning continues to pose an unacceptable environmental health risk to infants, children, and pregnant women in the United States, particularly in minority and low-income communities. A CDC survey conducted between 1999 and 2002, estimated that 310,000 American children under 6 were at risk for exposure to harmful lead levels in United States. Childhood lead poisoning has been linked to impaired growth and function of vital organs and problems with intellectual and behavioral development. A study from the New England Journal of Medicine also found that children suffered up to a 7.4- percent decrease in IQ at lead levels that CDC considers safe. At very high levels, lead poisoning can cause seizures, coma, and even death. It is critical that we remove lead hazards where our children live, learn, and play. We especially need to eliminate these risks and hazards that continue to persist in childcare facilities and schools. Nearly 12 million children under age 5 spend 40 hours a week in childcare.”