Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will receive a total of $404,685 to prevent childhood lead poisoning in Maine. The grant is being awarded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH). 

“Lead poisoning is one of the most prevalent public health issues facing children today,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “We welcome this investment by the CDC, which will help support Maine’s efforts to prevent the serious and often permanent effects caused by exposure to lead.”

The NCEH was first established in 1980 and works to prevent illness, disability, and death from unhealthy environments. The NCEH estimates that at least four million households include children who are exposed to high levels of lead. Even relatively low levels of lead exposure can cause reading and learning disabilities, hyperactivity, behavioral problems, and reductions in IQ and attention span, all of which can threaten a child’s ability to achieve his or her full potential.

The CDC is an agency within the U.S. Department of Human and Health Services.

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