Childhood lead poisoning is a serious illness that disproportionately affects children in? minority races and low socioeconomic challenges. The effects of exposure are? detrimental to their health and can be life long. The prevalence of childhood lead? poisoning has substantially decreased in Detroit, Michigan over the past decade.? Nonetheless, data reports continue to illustrate that lead poisoning rates in Detroit are 3? times the national rate and exceed the state of Michigan by more than 2 times. Although,? the prevalence of childhood lead poisoning is on a decrease, the environmental risk? factors associated with lead poisoned children must be aggressively addressed.? Recognizing the fact that deteriorating housing built prior to 1978 is the prime source of? exposure to lead poisoning, the Detroit Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention and? Control Program (DCLPP&CP) continues to fervently seek and extend services/resources? to urban families to control lead hazards of residential property.? Continued funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will? expand the capacity of Detroit's program to implement a primary prevention housing? based approach to the elimination of childhood lead poisoning by 2010. The program? request funding in the amount of $1,557,335 to continue the prevention of childhood? lead poisoning, identification, and treatment of lead-burden children, and facilitation of? reducing environmental hazards in the home, hi order to achieve our mission of? eliminating childhood lead poisoning as a public health concern by 2010, we are focusing? much of our efforts on the environment of the child to prevent chronic exposure. As the? program moves forward in the coming years, partnerships with other agencies and? enforcement actions will be strengthened. Primary prevention will be the pathway to the? elimination of childhood lead poisoning before the Year 2010.
