Lead poisoning is 100% preventable.
Join the Lead Safe Task Force to lend your voice to raising awareness and eliminating lead poisoning for our most vulnerable citizens.
Click on the video below to learn more about the effects of lead poisoning, the Lead Safe Task Force, and the work being done to address it in our community. To learn more about the resources available to help combat lead poisoning in our community, visit GetAheadOfLead.org.
Renewing Our Pledge: A Path to Ending Lead Poisoning of Buffalo’s Most Vulnerable Citizens
The Community Foundation, on behalf of a dedicated group of partners including the City of Buffalo and Erie County, was pleased to share a first-of-its-kind Lead Action Plan with the community in March 2018. Recognizing that lead poisoning permanently reduces a child’s ability to learn and is preventable, the Center for Governmental Research (CGR) was commissioned to evaluate comprehensive lead poisoning data and conduct community interviews. The result is a report entitled: Renewing Our Pledge: A Path to Ending Lead Poisoning of Buffalo’s Most Vulnerable Citizens.
Buffalo & Erie County Lead Safe Task Force
With over 90 percent of Buffalo’s housing built before 1978, the year lead paint was banned, lead poisoning, most often caused by chipping and peeling paint, continues to be a major challenge faced by many of our city’s residents. Especially dangerous for children under age six, lead poisoning is 100 percent preventable.
To address this, the Buffalo and Erie County Lead Safe Task Force was convened by the Community Foundation in 2018 to carry out the recommendations of a comprehensive study of lead poisoning in Buffalo. Findings of the study showed 80 percent of lead poisoning occurs in rental singles and doubles. As a result, the Task Force focused on increasing inspections of those properties and advocated for the passage of City legislation to require regular inspections focused on home health and safety.
In 2023, the Community Foundation committed a $1 million investment over five years to implement the Task Force’s new strategic plan, including amplifying the voices of parents with young children, increasing the volume of grassroots engagement and engaging a broad array of stakeholders in making Buffalo lead-safe.
Today, the Task Force has tripled in membership and a steering committee is expanding to include the voice of families affected by lead poisoning.
To learn more about the resources available to help combat lead poisoning in our community, visit GetAheadOfLead.org.
Learn More
Click here to learn more about lead paint hazards and poisoning.
Click here for more information on recent lead recalls.
The Erie County Department of Health has the following programs entirely dedicated to support the elimination of lead poisoning:
- Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program – Prevention of lead poisoning in children from being exposed to lead hazards. Click here.
- Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Program – Remediation and control of lead hazards available to property owners, qualifying families, and home-based day cares. Click here.
For more information about these programs, or for general information on how to help prevent lead poisoning, Buffalo residents, call 311. Erie County residents, call (716) 961-6800.
By working together, we can Get Ahead of Lead!