Bond secures money to fight lead poisoning in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS -- Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., said Friday he has secured $5 million in federal funding toward the $15 million he pledged over three years to fight lead poisoning in St. Louis.

In 2000, one-third of children tested in St. Louis under the age of 6 had lead poisoning, a figure that's seven times the national average, Bond said.

He pledged in February to seek $15 million over three years to help fund lead-abatement programs to be coordinated by the Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Center in north St. Louis.

The money is in the 2004 fiscal year spending bill for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday.

About 90 percent of St. Louis homes were built before 1978, the year lead paint was banned for indoor use in homes.

Children who live in homes with lead paint may be exposed to damaging paint chips and dust.

------

On the Net:

CDC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/lead.htm

St. Louis Lead Prevention Coalition, http://www.leadprevention.org