To: Governor Phil Murphy
Tell Governor Christie: Stop allowing New Jersey's children to be poisoned by lead.
New Jersey's children are relying on you to keep them safe. Please help keep New Jersey's kids lead-free by including $10 million in lead poisoning prevention in your budget this year.
Why is this important?
Last year, elevated levels of highly toxic lead were found in more than 3100 young children in New Jersey, yet every year of his administration Governor Christie has raided New Jersey's Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund in order to balance the budget; and this has had devastating consequences. According to newly released data, 11 New Jersey municipalities, including Newark, Jersey City and Trenton, were found to have a higher percentage of children affected by lead poisoning than Flint, MI, where lead in the drinking water has become a national story.
There is no safe level of lead in children. In New Jersey, exposure to lead comes primarily from paint in old homes. And without funding for lead poisoning prevention and abatement, thousands more of New Jersey's children, especially in low-income and minority communities, will continue to suffer permanent damage. Governor Christie will announce his 2017 spending plan on February 16, and we need to ensure that lead poisoning prevention is included in his budget.
Despite being entirely preventable, lead poisoning has devastating consequences for the children and communities affected. New Jersey can and will do better than this.