BALTIMORE, MD - Maryland’s 2006 Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week begins Sunday, Oct. 22 and runs through Oct. 28, coinciding with the Centers for Disease Control national recognition of this issue. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and The Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning Childhood partner together for Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, a week-long series of activities across the state that highlight what parents and property owners can do to prevent lead poisoning.

During the event, new lead lesson plans will be announced. MDE, with the assistance of EnviroHealth Connections, a cooperative project of the Institute for Urban Environmental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Maryland Public Television, and the Maryland State Department of Education, has made available lead poisoning prevention lessons for use to address the high school core learning goals.

The Ehrlich Administration is committed to achieving the goal set by the Centers for Disease Control to eliminate childhood lead poisoning by 2010. The effects of lead poisoning may result in poor school performance, inability to read, aggressive behavior, hearing loss or even mental retardation. All Marylanders should be aware of the dangers of lead paint before they rent, buy or renovate a home, and use safe practices when conducting any home maintenance.

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