Environmental Livability Index
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Environmental Livability Index
Childhood Lead Poisoning Report
This report—the sixth and final installment of the Environmental Livability Index—covers
childhood lead poisoning in Montgomery County. Previous reports released were on air quality,
water quality, transportation, industrial pollution, and cleanup needs. The reports can be found
on the Environmental Defense website at http://www.environmentaldefense.org/programs/
PPA/livabilityindex/.
We look at three aspects of the lead poisoning issue in Montgomery County:
• The local conditions. In which parts of the county are children most at risk for being
exposed to high lead levels? How many children in the County are being screened for high
blood lead levels? What percentage of children in high-risk areas are being screened?
• Local programs to address the issue. What are local authorities doing (and not doing) to
ensure adequate screening and treatment? Are there other programs in the County to help
prevent childhood lead poisoning?
• Other programs that can help end childhood lead poisoning. What other strategies can the
County and State employ to prevent lead poisoning? What are some model programs being
executed elsewhere? Finally, we include a list of organizations and people to contact for
more information.
Local groups and officials can use the Environmental Livability Index to see how the area
performs on a wide variety of environmental issues. Whenever possible, we used data sources
that were widely available and understandable to the public. As a result, the Index can easily be
updated or modified for other communities. Reports such as this can help create greater public
awareness of key local environmental issues and increase accountability among local officials to
achieve better environmental gains.
Acknowledgments
Environmental Defense would like to thank the Joyce Foundation for its vital financial support to the
Pollution Prevention Alliance, including the Environmental Livability Index. The Pollution