LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On Thursday afternoon, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that $267,000 in funding will be given to Arkansas to help protect children in the state from lead that could be found in drinking water at childcare facilities and schools.
As part of the Biden-Harris administration's Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan, this grant funding will be used by 55 states and territories including the District of Columbia to help reduce the exposure of lead in places where children learn and play.
Lead has been known to cause severe harm to the mental and physical development of children. It can cause a slowdown in their learning abilities and even irreversible damage to the brain.
In adults, lead can cause heart disease, increase blood pressure, decrease kidney function and it can even cause some cancers.
Funding for this was authorized by the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act. For the past five years, the Voluntary School and Childcare Lead Testing and Reduction Grant has led to more than $150 million in funding to help conduct tests and for the removal of lead in sources of drinking water found in schools and childcare facilities.
For more information on the EPA's Voluntary School and Childcare Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program, please click here.
