Alliance To End Childhood Lead Poisoning

The Alliance is a national public interest organization formed by leaders in public health, environmental protection, affordable housing, and civil rights. The Alliance seeks to protect children from lead and other environmental health hazards in and around their homes by advocating for policy solutions and building capacity for primary prevention in communities throughout the US and around the world. Founded in 1990 to focus a comprehensive solution to childhood lead poisoning, the Alliance was designed to have the technical capacity and comprehensive reach across disciplines needed to effect change on a broad scale.
Over our twelve-year history, the Alliance has achieved impressive results, serving as an effective advocate and resource to federal agencies, policymakers, grassroots groups, the private sector, and the media on the technical and policy issues related to preventing lead poisoning. The Alliance brings demonstrated expertise, credibility, and effectiveness in finding practical solutions to technical, policy and legislative problems and overcoming real world obstacles to implementation. Critical achievements of the Alliance include:
Shifting the National Approach to Prevention. The Alliance has worked consistently to move the system beyond reacting to poisoned children to preventing and controlling lead hazards beforehand. The Alliance was instrumental in shaping the landmark 1992 legislation that remains today the driving force for controlling lead-based paint hazards in housing. At the local level, our “primary prevention strategies” reports provided a blueprint for local policy and programs and highlighted the benefits of prevention.
Expanding Resources for Prevention. Over the past decade, the Alliance has worked to increase funding for lead poisoning prevention at all levels. We have won increased funds for controlling lead hazards in low-income housing, screening children at risk, and high-quality research to validate the effectiveness of cost-effective solutions. Millions of properties receiving federal subsidies for rehab and rental assistance must now meet meaningful lead-safety requirements.
Brokering Innovative Policies. Alliance staff and board members played key roles in crafting the consensus lead-safety recommendations endorsed by the “Title X Task Force.” The Model State Law we developed with the National Conference of State Legislatures is the primary guide used by state legislators. The Alliance helped break the impasse on national blood lead screening guidelines and is now working to ensure that Medicaid provides screening, treatment, and prevention services as required.