The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced strengthened lead dust rules to protect more than a million people in the United States, including young children. The United States substantially lowered the allowable level of lead in paint in 1978. But in buildings constructed before 1978—including homes, schools, and day care centers—the lead in older paint is released when it chips or during sanding or other renovation procedures.

The announcement comes during National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week and the stronger rules will help ensure lead paint dust is identified and cleaned up. The EPA estimates that the rules will reduce the lead exposures of up to nearly 1.2 million people every year, of which 178,000 to 326,000 are children under the age of six. In addition, the EPA has calculated that the rules will provide public health and economic benefits up to 30 times greater than the costs. This effort is part of a whole-of-government approach to prevent toxic lead exposure by the Biden-Harris administration.

Following the announcement, the BlueGreen Alliance issued a statement from Vice President of Health Initiatives Charlotte Brody:

“Science shows that there’s no safe level of lead and the Biden-Harris administration has taken decisive action to reduce exposure to end the toxic legacy of lead poisoning. We know that lead harms mental and physical development and can cause many problems that last a lifetime. We also know that people of color are much more likely to be exposed. But lead poisoning is preventable and the action of the Biden-Harris administration today—coupled with their investments to remove almost all lead service lines across the country over the next decade—are vital to protecting millions of children and adults.

“The EPA’s final rule does what the Trump administration refused to do. It protects our nation’s children, the people who teach and care for them, and the workers who renovate their homes and retrofit their schools. We thank the EPA for taking this action and the Biden-Harris administration for prioritizing getting the lead out of our environment and out of our children’s bodies.”