There are no safe levels of lead in children’s blood and there are no safe levels of exposure to lead.

 In 1978, it became illegal to use lead paint in homes, and in 2023, Senate Bill 9 was passed to create a system to eliminate lead paint in the homes of children who were identified as having elevated lead levels in their blood. 

Childhood lead poisoning is an enormous problem in Delaware. 

• Each year, roughly 600 kids in Delaware are identified as having elevated lead in their blood. This is one of every 17 children tested in the state. 
• Lead exposure has serious consequences for children – developmental delays, learning disabilities, even consequences that stretch into the teenage years, like interaction with the juvenile justice system. 

One of the most effective things the state can do to reduce the number of children who suffer these consequences is to get rid of exposed lead paint in older homes.  

Funding is absolutely critical in proactively eliminating lead-based paint hazards.

We ask you today to fund the remediation of homes for children who are being exposed to lead.

If you’d like more information, please see National PTA’s Resolution on Lead Poisoning Prevention.