Program Overview

The mission of Florida's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program is to protect the health and cognitive development of children and adults living in Florida by preventing exposure to all lead hazards. To accomplish its mission the program is divided into two components: the Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology Surveillance Program (ABLES) and the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP).

ABLES Activities

• conducts surveillance of adult blood lead testing and poisoning

• provides education materials for preventing adult exposure and take home exposure.

CLPPP Activities       

• conducts statewide surveillance of blood lead testing in children,

• promotes blood lead screening in children less than 72 months of age,

• assures appropriate case management services are provided to children identified as lead poisoned, and

• educates at-risk populations about lead poisoning hazards and prevention.

• coordinates the Committee for the Elimination of Childhood Lead Poisoning (CECLP)

Funding to support these activities comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Florida Legislature.
 

CLPPP and ABLES currently work in collaboration with the Committee for the Elimination of Childhood Lead Poisoning (CECLP) to achieve the Healthy People 2010 goal of eliminating childhood lead poisoning. The CECLP was established in December 2003 by CLPPP for the purpose of developing and implementing a 5 year strategic plan to eliminate childhood lead poisoning in Florida.

Today the CECLP is made up of over 100 individuals representing state, federal and local agencies, community based organizations, universities and advocacy groups. These individuals work diligently to carry out the activities defined in Florida's Strategic Plan for the Elimination of Childhood Lead Poisoning, 'The Elimination Plan'. The committee's efforts have helped to leverage an additional $500,000 for lead poisoning screening, case management and prevention in Florida. Their efforts also facilitated the passage of the 2006 Lead Poisoning Prevention, Screening and Education Act, and enabled the CLPPP to establish and expand the Lead Alert Network, an e-mail notification system that alerts health, housing and social service programs and the public about consumer products recalled due to lead content.

Lead Poisoning Prevention Program 2007 Priorities
CLPPP looks forward to building on past successes in lead poisoning prevention. In addition to enhancing the core components of the lead poisoning prevention program, the CLPPP will begin expanding its focus to include other environmental health hazards affecting children in the home environment. Priority activities for 2007 are listed below.

• Increase screening of at-risk children.
• Monitor and ensure all children with elevated blood lead levels are offered timely and comprehensive case management.
• Pursue policies, statutes and codes to protect children from lead poisoning.
• Improve and maintain the accuracy, timeliness and usefulness of the Blood Lead Surveillance System.
• Use blood lead surveillance data to conduct research and evaluation activities that improve lead poisoning prevention efforts.
• Increase participation in the Committee for the Elimination of Childhood Lead Poisoning and ensure ongoing coordination of lead poisoning prevention efforts amongst stakeholders at the federal, state and local level.
• Improve and expand upon outreach and education activities for lead and other environmental health hazards in the home.
•  establish Florida's Lead Safety Net, a statewide network of public and private risk assessors and funders able to assist families in need of lead hazard control services.
• educate existing home visitation program case managers about lead hazards and enable them to make referrals to Florida's Lead Safety Net.
• Inform and educate adults in lead-associated jobs or hobbies about lead-safe practices at work and home.