EPA Tribal Community Lead Awareness

2024 Tribal EPA Region 9 Conference
October 22-24, 2024
San Jose, CA & Online

Abstract
Lower IQ, slowed or stunted growth, and hearing problems are just some of the long-lasting health effects caused by even low levels of lead in children. The Lead Awareness Curriculum creates a starting point to hold informed conversations within communities to teach parents, caregivers, and community leaders about the dangerous health effects of lead. The Curriculum also empowers individuals to act within their own homes to protect their children and communities from potential lead exposure. The Curriculum was designed with over 200 Tribal partners to; (1) Raise awareness in Tribal communities and other interested communities about childhood lead exposure; (2) Expand understanding of lead’s potential impacts on children’s health and cultural practices; (3) Encourage actions that can be taken to reduce and/or prevent childhood lead exposure.

Speakers
Angela Baranco has several years of experience in the Region 9 Lead-Based Paint Program. As the Regional Lead Coordinator, she works with federal, state, local, tribal, and other partners to provide technical expertise to the region on lead-based paint and its effects on human health, worker safety, and environmental impacts on communities and children. Angela manages an EPA grant awarded to the Hawaii Department of Public Health to regulate lead-related construction practices and protect environmentally overburdened and underserved communities from lead exposure. Additionally, Angela coordinates with local contacts to provide trainings to code enforcement officers and build awareness of EPA's Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) requirements for certification, training, and safe practices.

In the Region 9 Lead-Based Paint Program, Natalie works with federal, state, local, tribal, and other partners to provide technical expertise to the region on lead-based paint and its effects on human health, worker safety, and environmental impacts on communities and children. She manages an EPA grant awarded to the California Department of Public Health Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) to regulate lead-related construction practices and protect environmentally overburdened and underserved communities from lead exposure. Additionally, Natalie is the regional coordinator for the Community Lead Awareness initiative which provides free educational trainings to raise awareness about childhood lead exposure and provide resources to community members for lead poisoning prevention.

As the Outreach and Engagement Coordinator for EPA's National Lead-Based Paint Program, Shayna is also the Lead Awareness/Tribal Lead Curriculum Coordinator. Thus, she coordinates the development and review of outreach materials (in multiple languages) for EPA's Lead-based Paint Program, including social media campaigns, graphics, web content, press releases, etc. Shayna developed and coordinated the "Community Lead Awareness" initiative, a training and outreach initiative of EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Program focused on reducing childhood lead exposure in communities across the US by offering free trainings to educate 387 community members about lead.