$170 Million For Lead Paint Removal In NJ State Budget

NEW JERSEY — Gov. Phil Murphy recently signed New Jersey's largest state budget ever - a $50.6 billion spending plan that includes tax relief, school aid and more. It also set aside $170 million for lead paint remediation in homes and apartments across the state in a move that advocates have applauded as a "crucial" step towards ending childhood lead poisoning in New Jersey.

The $170 million comes out of federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

While lead-based paint was banned in the U.S. by Congress in 1978, the risk still remains in the thousands of older homes in NJ. Isles, Inc., a NJ-based organization that emphasizes healthy and sustainable communities, estimates that at least 250,000 housing units occupied by children that have lead paint hazards. And experts say that no amount of lead is safe.

Even a low level of lead in blood can damage a child's brain and nervous system, leading to slowed growth and development, and even learning and behavior problems, according to the CDC. Evidence also suggests that lead poisoning causes long-term damage, the CDC said.

"There is no such thing as a safe level of lead," said Elyse Pivnick, Isles’ Senior Director of Environmental Health. "Children with even low levels of lead are six times more likely to enter the juvenile justice system, thirty percent more likely to fail 3rd grade reading and math, and seven times more likely to drop out of school. Tragically, in 2015, 13 municipalities in New Jersey had a higher percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels than Flint, MI."

According to New Jersey Department of Health data from 2019, the most recent childhood lead poisoning report, the five municipalities with the highest percentage of elevated lead blood levels are East Orange, Trenton, Atlantic City, Irvington and West Orange.

Similar policies instituted in other states and cities have reduced childhood lead poisoning from lead-based paint, according to Isles.

It is not yet known how the NJ Department of Community Affairs will distribute the funds, but it is expected to train inspectors and contractors, and provide funds to replace lead painted doors, windows and wood trim in qualified homes and apartments, according to Isles. "Creating new infrastructure, like Lead and Healthy homes Resource Centers, and lead training to quickly scale up our workforce, are needed to both successfully implement the new Lead Safe Certificate law, and to remediate thousands of New Jersey’s lead-burdened homes and apartments," Isles said.

Community advocates, such as Lead-Free NJ, an organization seeking to remove lead poisoning from NJ with an emphasis on low-income and communities of color, have hailed the funding as a sign of the government's commitment to making the state a safer place for its overburdened communities.

"Thank you to Governor Murphy and the New Jersey Legislature for prioritizing this important need and funding the crucial work of keeping New Jersey’s children safe from lead paint," Lead-Free NJ Co-Chairs Rashan Prailow and Debbie Mans said in a shared statement.

"More than a dozen children are still being poisoned by lead every day in New Jersey, and according to the NJ Department of Health, dust from lead-based paint is responsible for at least 75% of those cases. This new funding provides a significant down payment in fulfilling the promise of ending childhood lead poisoning in New Jersey kids, forever," said Ben Haygood, Isles’ Policy Director.

"These dollars will make thousands of homes and apartments across our state lead-safe for our children and families," said Sean Jackson, CEO of Isles. "We know making these homes safe reduces healthcare costs, improves educational performance, and helps our kids and family succeed. This is an investment that will pay off for our families – and our State."

The budget also set aside $300 million in water infrastructure funding, which will replace lead contaminated water lines. Prailow and Mans said that "we are eager to have this administration and the state legislature fund the existing mandate for lead service line replacement, especially in overburdened communities, which are disproportionately affected by the lead crisis.

"With this budget, New Jersey is moving closer to a reality where no child will suffer the toxic effects of lead, whether in the paint in their home, or in the water they drink," Prailow and Mans said.