Get Involved – Upcoming Meetings

• Housing Committee: June 6, 3:00 pm (virtual)
• Health Committee: July 11, 11:00 am (virtual)
• Membership Meeting: July 17, 11:30 am - 3:00 pm at Montclair University (FREE to attend, lunch included)

Contact Cassie Bolinger to join an upcoming meeting.

Community Hub Happenings

Blood Lead Level Testing for Trenton Public School Students

Monday - Friday 10 am to 4pm at 218 North Broad Street

Contact: 609-989-3242

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Trenton Officials Hold Press Conference Urging Participation in Lead Testing

Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora announced that the Trenton Health Department will embark on a campaign to encourage testing by knocking on doors in the North Ward.

Read press coverage below:

Getting lead out of Trenton demands inspection of houses (L.A. PARKER COLUMN) Trentonian, quote from Trenton hub leader Shereyl Snider

Trenton urges testing for children at lead contaminated school NBC10

Trenton Health Department to go door-to-door to test children for lead exposure 6ABC

Connecting with families in Paterson: Paterson community hub leader Shanikwa Lemon, Lead-Free NJ Program Manager Heather Sorge, and Green and Healthy Homes Initiative Technical Assistance Specialist Khari Muhammad spoke with families and educational professionals about lead poisoning prevention at Paterson Preschool Awareness day.

Data and Changes for NJ Blood Lead Level Testing

NJ Department of Health (NJ DOH) Releases Blood Lead Data for July 2021 – June 2022

Updated data for the NJ childhood lead exposure annual report is now available here. The report shows an increase in the number of children tested from the previous year but also shows that overburdened communities continue to have the highest percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels, underscoring the racial, economic, and environmental justice issue of lead exposure.

NJ DOH Proposes Lowering the Blood Lead Reference Value from 5 to 3.5µg/dL

Here are some key takeaways from the proposal:

• NJDOH estimates that an additional 4,000 children would be identified per year as having blood lead at or above the blood lead reference value.
• This would lead to risk reduction education and nutritional counseling being provided to the parents and guardians of at-risk children sooner, thus leading to healthier outcomes. 
• The proposed amendments would not require any environmental interventions when a child has a venous test result of 3.5 to 4.9 µg/dL. 

Public Comments are accepted until July 5, 2024. Read the full proposal here. Review related state legislation here.

Watch coverage from NJ Spotlight News on NJ blood lead level testing that features Lead-Free NJ Advocacy Co-Chair Kelvin Boddy (HCDNNJ) and Health Committee Co-Chair Elyse Pivnick (Isles) below.

Wins for Water

Bill A2929 (Requires disclosure of lead drinking water hazards to tenants of residential units; prohibits landlords from obstructing replacement of lead service lines) passed the assembly housing committee this month. Lead-Free NJ member Deandrah Cameron (New Jersey Future) testified in support of the bill. Lead-Free NJ members Housing and Community Development Network of NJ and NJ League of Conservation Voters also supported the bill. The bill will next be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

EPA announced funding awards to states for lead service line removal and NJ got an over 48% increase in funding amounting to $123.1 million. Read more here.

July Deadline is Approaching for NJ Rental Housing to be Inspected for Lead Paint Hazards

Are you a landlord? Are you a renter? Are you a municipal official? You should know that certain rental housing units must be inspected for lead paint hazards by July 22, 2024. NJ Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Jacquelyn Suáez is speaking out to increase awareness about the NJ lead remediation and abatement program.

This July is also the deadline for water utilities to update lead service line inventories, progress reports, and replacement plans.