New Britain is receiving a $3.4 million federal grant to help prevent lead poisoning, according to an announcement from the city’s mayor and congressional delegation.
New Britain will use the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant to address lead hazards in the homes of 184 low- and very low-income families and to perform healthy homes assessments in 202 other homes.
Lead poisoning risk spikes in summer when children spend more time at home, the release said. In 2013, 60,000 Connecticut children were exposed to lead, with 2,275 children poisoned by it.
Nearly 75 percent of the state’s housing was built before 1980, which makes it more at risk for containing lead in paint and old pipes, the release said. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty have authored the Healthy Homes Tax Credit Act, which provides homeowners with a maximum tax credit of $5,000 to pay for lead, radon or asbestos abatement. That legislation, which U.S. Sen Richard Blumenthal co-sponsored, is pending in Congress.
