CHILDHOOD LEAD POISONING PREVENTION PROGRAM 

The mission of the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) is to provide medical and environmental management for lead-burdened children and conducts lead screening to mitigate the effects of lead. Lead poisoning is a public health concern and is 100% preventable.  The goal of the CLPPP is to identify children who are lead burden, assess the source of the hazard, and to remediate the hazard.

Lead Screening: The CLPPP conducts screening for lead poisoning through the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Bureau located at the Newark Department of Health & Community Wellness, 110 William Street, Newark, NJ 07102.

Education and Awareness: The CLPPP is responsible for educating the public on lead prevention and lead-safe work practices. It is the responsibility of local health departments to ensure that the public is informed and aware of how to prevent lead poisoning. The CLPPP program conducts health education at venues around Newark. The health presentation is conducted at daycare centers, community based organizations, *schools, churches and other institutions* charged with the responsibility of caring for the City’s youngest residents.

The CLPPP program utilizes a storyboard exhibit named “Dusty the Dog”. This interactive exhibit helps users get visual understanding of lead poison prevention activities. The exhibit is very colorful, making it one of the most requested exhibits in the Division of Environmental Health. The goal of the awareness presentations is to get the public to understand that lead poisoning is a medical concern with an environmental presence.

Inspections: The CLPPP is responsible for ensuring that all houses that have children with an elevated blood lead level (EBL) is inspected to determine if there is a lead hazard.  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the law that authorizes said inspections is entitled Chapter 13, this gives the City of Newark the authority to inspect homes for lead hazards to protect the health of the public.  Inspections are conducted on high priority bases; lead levels of 20 ug/dl and above have high priority.  The City of Newark has seven inspectors that conduct inspections by utilizing a lead detection machine called a XRF instrument.  This machine is the instrument used across the nation to detect the presence of lead.

Court Cases: The City of Newark CLPPP issues notices to comply, and cites landlords for lead violations.  If the violations are not corrected in a timely manner the City places the cases in court.  Cases re heard before a judge at a Special Lead Court was implemented by the City in 2000.             

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For more information about the CLPPP or lead prevention, call (973) 733-4311. Feel free to visit the Department of Health & Community to get a FREE lead screening for your infant or child!