MARLTON, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Lead contamination remains a problem across the United States. In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday announced $38 million in state-funded grants to nonprofits and local governments for remediation projects, with an emphasis on helping communities of color.
“Knowing that more than 4,500 New Jersey kids in 2023 face lifelong health and cognitive consequences because of lead exposure is not only intolerable, it is an environmental injustice,” Murphy said during a press event hosted by Light Up Your World Inc., one of the grant recipients. They are getting $4 million.
“We are grateful to be in this position to connect several New Jersey homes with the life-changing resources that the state provides,” Executive Director Jennifer Aigbodion said.
Groups like Light Up Your World will identify homes where lead remains, even in trace amounts, then help with remediation. Aigbodion says the grant will allow them to reach many more families.
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“We have seen the tremendous impact that reaching out to New Jersey residents has made by taking the time to just call and explain the benefits available to them and how they can qualify,” she said.
Lead-based paint was banned in the U.S. in 1978, and it’s linked to a myriad of health problems, both physical and mental.
“And given that today is the first day of Black History Month, we cannot ignore the very simple reality that this health crisis impacts predominantly Black and brown families, and especially children,” Murphy said.
Grant recipients will be required to provide periodic progress reports to the state Department of Community Affairs. The Puerto Rican Action Committee of Southern New Jersey, serving Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties, the Gateway Community Action Partnership, serving Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties, and St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society, serving Burlington and Camden counties, are among the groups in South Jersey getting millions of dollars.