On Wednesday, July 21, the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning – in which the University of Rochester plays a key role – will receive the 2009 Environmental Justice Achievement Award for its community-based efforts to prevent childhood lead poisoning in the City of Rochester.

Judith Enck, a regional administrator for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will present the award at the Central Library on South Avenue.

The University of Rochester is joined by the City of Rochester, Monroe County, and Empire Justice in the coalition, which formed in 2001 in the wake of studies that showed children in the City of Rochester had blood lead levels that were ten times the national average. These elevated levels – caused by lead dust found in many older Rochester homes – have hindered these children’s healthy development and IQs.

In response, the coalition and other local groups pooled efforts, eventually prompting a historic lead abatement ordinance that the City of Rochester approved in 2005. Additionally, the University has been instrumental in several other outreach programs, including “Get the Lead Out” (a partnership with Orchard Street Community Health Center, local government agencies and several community groups to test the homes of children at risk of lead poisoning), and creating a “lead lab” and "Healthy Home" to demonstrate safe lead practices.

“This is a powerful example of the ability of science and outreach to inform and influence public policy decisions that improve public health,” said Mark Taubman, M.D., dean of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

To learn more about this EPA award, click here.