Lead Safe Omaha Coalition

Vision | Mission

Mission
Our mission is the elimination of childhood lead poisoning, a preventable disease.
Vision
Our mandate is to eradicate of childhood lead poisoning by the year 2010. This is only achievable through community advocacy and assistance, developing public policy, educating the community, networking, promoting self-empowerment of families within the Omaha-Douglas County area, and sharing lead poisoning prevention resources with all community stakeholders.
We welcome opportunities to meet with families, both parents and children, and inform them of the dangers and of lead and other hazardous substances in our environment. For more information about us select this link. For a history of our organization and information on lead safety awareness select this link.

Home Saftey Resources

Green Resources

Superfund

Approximately eight thousand nine hundred acres of land contaminated by the Asarco lead smelting plant and its emissions is the Omaha Superfund Site. This site is a home for over 11,000 Omaha students plus hundreds of child-care facilities. This link contains current information about the Superfund Site and the EPA's efforts. Also, the EPA has information on elevated blood-levels per yer and the EPA exterior lead-based paint program.

Events

Tip of the Month

What are the symptoms of lead poisoning?

It's important to note that children may show no obvious symptoms. If a child actually shows symptoms, the level of poisoning is advanced. High blood lead levels are associated with decreased intelligence, mental retardation, and hyperactivity. Symptoms can include hearing problems, behavior problems, and learning problems. Children with high blood lead levels may have poor appetite, stomach aches, vomiting, constipation, crankiness, loss of energy, headaches, and trouble sleeping. Very high levels can cause coma and convulsions.

A person with blood lead levels exceeding 70 micrograms per deciliter is considered severely poisoned, and levels between 100 and 150 can cause death.

Kid's Corner
A healthy lifestyle cannot start too young, here is some information for parents and children on healthy living.

Contact Us
Phone	402.451.3730
Fax	402.451.3728
Mailing Address	Lead Safe Omaha Coalition 2502 N 24th St Suite #211 Omaha, NE 68110-2252

Lead exposure can harm young children before they are born. Even children who seem healthy can have high levels of lead in their bodies. Lead can damage a child's brain or nervous system resulting in behavioral or learning problems such as hyperactivity. For information on lead safety, select this link. For a list of newspaper articles on lead safety, select this link. For a list of city and state resources for lead safety, select this link. One can find contact information for federal lead safety resources by selecting this link.

Radon is a colorless, odorless, tastelss gas that is a product of the natural breakdown of radium and uranium found in the soil beneath a house. Radon, which enters a home through cracks and crevices in the basement, can harm your family's health. For more information on radon safety, select this link.

Although the United States has one of the safest water supplies in the world, drinking water quality can vary between locations within the country depending on the quality of water treatment and filtration, and drinking water supply contamination can occur during times of natural disaster such as floods or hurricanes. For more information on water safety, select this link.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can kill a person in minutes. Hundreds of people die accidentally every year from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by appliances that are not used properly or that are malfunctioning. For information on carbon monoxide safety, select this link.

Each year, more than thirteen billion dollars worth of energy leaks from houses through small holes and cracks equaling more than one hundred and fifty dollars per family. For information on saving energy around your home, select this link.

Eight out of ten plastic water bottles become landfill waste while it takes one and a half million barrels of oil to manufacture a year's supply of bottled water bottles equaling enough oil for fueling one hundred thousand cars. For information on recycling around your home and how it should be done safely,
select this link.

Each year numerous events occur in the Omaha-Douglas County area that focus on home safety, especially lead safety. For information about community events focused on lead and home safety,
select this link.

The internet contains a wealth of media broadcast on home and lead safety. For such broadcast, select this link. For internet broadcast concerning lead safety on People Talking to People hosted by Cheryl Weston, select this link.