Final Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities in U.S. Communities

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Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities in U.S. Communities

In 2022, EPA developed the  Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities in U.S. Communities (pdf) (1.33 MB)  (Lead Strategy) to advance EPA’s work to protect the public from lead with an emphasis on high-risk communities. Very low levels of lead in children’s blood have been linked to adverse effects on intellect, concentration, and academic achievement. The United States has made substantial progress in reducing lead exposure, but significant disparities remain along racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines. Under this strategy, EPA focused on eliminating the disparities in blood lead levels by taking specific actions to prevent childhood exposures and exposure inequities that could lead to lifelong health effects and barriers to social and economic well-being. 

The Lead Strategy set out four goals which aligned with the 2018 Federal Lead Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposure:

  1. Reduce community exposures to lead sources
  2. Identify communities with high lead exposures and improve their health outcomes
  3. Communicate more effectively with stakeholders
  4. Support and conduct critical research to inform efforts to reduce lead exposures and related health risks.

Engaging the Agency’s many stakeholders and with federal, tribal, state, and local government partners was an integral part of developing this Lead Strategy. On October 28, 2021, EPA released the draft Lead Strategy and solicited feedback from the public through March of 2022. During the public comment period, EPA hosted 11 public listening sessions on the draft Lead Strategy, one in each of EPA’s 10 regions and an engagement session for tribes. The public also submitted hundreds of substantive comments about the draft Lead Strategy and thousands of additional comments were submitted through mass comment campaigns. As a result of this concerted outreach, EPA received feedback from a wide array of stakeholders and community members from around the country. Public commenters shared many ideas and impassioned perspectives on how to improve the Lead Strategy and how EPA and the whole-of-government can better address lead contamination in communities. EPA considered the comments, and this public input substantially improved the final version of the Lead Strategy. The final Lead Strategy also included measures for tracking the Agency’s progress in meeting the goals of the strategy, as well as milestones for regulatory actions and updates to guidance and communication products.

Read the complete strategy:

Draft Strategy and Public Outreach

Lead

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Last updated on March 12, 2025