AUGUSTA — As part of his effort to undermine a minimum wage hike approved by Maine voters in 2016, Gov. Paul LePage vetoed a spending bill Monday that includes $4 million for a lead abatement program aimed at alleviating a serious public health issue in Lewiston and Auburn. Lewiston and Auburn are considered among the […]
lead
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Lead poisoning hits new Mainers hard
“Kadra Ahmed” sits in her living room in Lewiston with her 2-year-old son, who was diagnosed with lead poisoning while living at their former apartment. Her 9-year-old son picks up his prayer rug. “All our life is dependent on his sickness,” Ahmed said through an interpreter. “Our life is just changing.” (Andree Kehn/Sun Journal) Fears, language barrier, cultural […]
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Posted inMaine
State Senate votes down Nate Libby’s lead paint bill
AUGUSTA — A Maine bill reinforcing federal requirements for training and certification to do renovation work on buildings containing lead is dead, leaving unresolved questions about the safety of renovating homes in Maine that contain lead paint or plumbing. The Maine House and Senate failed to come to agreement on the measure, with the Democrat-led House voting in favor of the […]
Posted inConnections
Jama to address L-A Rotary April 6
LEWISTON — Taysir Jama, health promotion coordinator at Healthy Androscoggin, will be the featured guest speaker at the Lewiston-Auburn Rotary from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, April 6, at the Ramada Inn, Lewiston. Jama is a health promotion coordinator at Healthy Androscoggin, responsible for building awareness about lead poisoning and educating our community about lead […]
Posted inMaine
Bill calls for testing every Maine school's drinking water for lead
AUGUSTA — Prodded by a new environmental report that gives Maine a failing grade for its efforts to prevent schoolchildren from drinking water with high lead levels, legislators are eyeing, as a first step, a plan to have every school carry out more testing. “We should ensure that our kids aren’t being exposed to lead, […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine offers free lead testing for school water
AUGUSTA — The water going to Maine schools is tested and safe, but the water quality inside schools is largely unknown. A voluntary state program is covering the cost of analyzing the lead content of up to 10 water samples from each school. The federal Lead and Copper Rule doesn’t require water utilities to test […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Feds crack down on lead in subsidized housing
A new federal rule may offer some help to children living in subsidized housing who face exposure to toxic lead paint. The new U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development standard lowers the acceptable blood level to a threshold urged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, allowing for quicker lead abatement. The issue […]
Posted inMaine
Maine to get $3.4 million for lead hazard abatement
LEWISTON — U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King said Monday the Maine State Housing Authority will be awarded $3 million to eliminate lead hazards in housing for low-income families. The grant will be part of a federal Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration program. MaineHousing will also receive $400,000 in Healthy Homes supplemental funding. The two […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Federal lead paint cleanup could last through July
The federal Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday that its effort to clean up lead paint in the Lewiston-Auburn area of Maine could stretch into July. The EPA will arrive in the area in as little as a week, spokeswoman Emily Bender said. The agency has said the Lewiston-Auburn area, which has about 60,000 residents, […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
EPA expects Lewiston-Auburn lead inspection to go into July
LEWISTON — The federal Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday that its effort to clean up lead paint in the Lewiston-Auburn area of Maine could stretch into July. The EPA will arrive in the area in as little as a week, spokeswoman Emily Bender said. The agency has said the Lewiston-Auburn area, which has about 60,000 […]