HUD Program to Protect Children from Lead

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Andrew Cuomo announced acomprehensive multimillion dollar program to further help communities protect children from the dangers of lead poisoning. HUD will provide $84 million to conduct lead testing in federally funded, low-income housing and more than $20 million to train additional inspectors and other workers, including maintenance and renovation specialists, to carry out HUD's new lead safety regulations that take effect on September 15.Lead poses a serious health risk, particularly to children, and can cause permanent damage to the brain and other organs. In the U.S., nearly a million children under the age of six suffer from lead poisoning. Children from low-income families are five times more likely to suffer from lead poisoning and minority children are disproportionately affected.