Trump Administration Releases Deeply Disappointing ‘Action Plan’ on Lead

“Today, the Trump Administration released its long-delayed Federal Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures and Associated Health Impacts. As we had anticipated, given this administration’s record of touting its efforts on lead without taking concrete action, the plan is deeply disappointing. The administration promised a strategy and delivered a repackaged bundle of activities many of which were already underway during the last administration. It lacks the measurable goals, deadlines, or funding essential for success. The fact that the administration released this report just before the holidays and a possible government shutdown indicates that they are far from proud of their work.”

“Our country continues to have a toxic legacy of lead: over 6 million homes get water from lead service lines; 24 million homes have lead hazards in paint, dust, or soil; and nearly half a million children have elevated levels of lead in their blood. Making meaningful progress in tackling sources of exposure will require an aggressive, comprehensive, and practical strategy – which is not what the administration put out today. For decades, we’ve made real progress reducing lead in our society, but the Trump Administration’s plan is not designed to advance those efforts.”

“We know that there is no safe level of lead in blood. If the administration truly wanted to make drastic reductions in children’s exposure to lead, the strategy would look very different.”

- Tom Neltner, Chemicals Policy Director, Environmental Defense Fund