Grants Available
With the generous support of The Heinz Endowments, the 1000 Hours a Year Project provides grants to help offset costs associated with testing and remediation of lead and radon in schools and early learning centers. This program is open to learning facilities in Allegheny County.
Amounts: Grant awards range from $500 to $5,000 per building. There is no matching requirement; however, it is likely the mini-grants may not cover the full cost of testing and remediation.
Eligibility: All public school districts; charter, private, and parochial schools; and licensed childcare providers in Allegheny County are welcome to apply. Grant awards will be prioritized for schools and childcare centers with demonstrated need, including those that serve children from environmental justice communities in Allegheny County, areas most at risk for lead and radon exposure through aging infrastructure and geographic location.
Get the Facts
Lead Poisoning
Lead is a poison affecting nearly every system in the body, including the brain and nervous system. Lead is especially dangerous to children under the age of six, as their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead and their growing bodies absorb more lead.
Between 2015 and 2018, 1,763 young children were identified for having elevated blood lead levels (EBLLs), as ‘new cases reported to Allegheny Health Department (ACHD).’ According to recent ACHD inspections, the top sources of lead poisoning are paint, dust and soil. There are no effective treatments for the permanent cognitive and behavioral damage that occurs when a toddler has lead poisoning.
Lead poisoning contributes to:
- Damage to the brain and nervous system
- Slowed growth and development
- Learning and behavior problems (reduced IQ, ADHD, juvenile delinquency, and criminal behavior)
- Hearing and speech problems
- Other problems can include: kidney disease, hypertension, heart disease, anemia, slowed puberty
Paint and Dust
Lead paint was commonly used until 1978. With 85% of our Pittsburgh-area homes built before 1978 and more than 1,700 new cases of lead poisoning in our children – we’ve got a problem. When lead paint chips, crumbles, begins peeling, or is disturbed by demolition/renovation, the resulting dust contains lead and poses a health risk.
Water
Lead-containing pipes were used until 1986. These pipes can wear down and release lead into the drinking water. Plumbing fixtures and fittings can also contain lead if purchased before 2014. All these sources present a health risk. Municipal water authorities must test for lead in drinking water every three years to maintain healthy drinking water.
Get the Facts
Radon
Radon is a gas that you cannot smell, taste, or see, and it forms naturally when uranium, radium, and thorium break down in rocks, soil, and groundwater. People can be exposed to radon primarily from breathing it in air that comes through cracks and gaps in buildings and homes. Inhaling radon can cause health problems, as radon is known to be the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
Test annually during the winter months, if the level reads above 4 pCi/l consider installing a radon reduction system in the basement.
Over a dozen states require radon testing in schools, but unfortunately, Pennsylvania is not one of them! WHE created the Radon in Schools Workgroup to change that. According to the EPA, Pennsylvania has some of the highest levels of radon in the country. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, but the good news is radon exposure can be prevented.