The settlement, part of a 19-page consent agreement, stems from numerous environmental violations that EPA inspectors discovered in 1997 at the DOT complex at 90 Calverley St., including improper storage and handling of large amounts of hazardous waste. Investigators also discovered violations of the Clean Water Act, including the failure to take spill-prevention measures and the illegal discharge of oil into the Woonasquatucket River. Rather than hitting Rhode Island with a huge fine that will disappear into the U.S. Treasury, EPA and DOT are channeling our efforts towards a positive project that will produce dramatic public health benefits for hundreds of Rhode Island children. This announcement is particularly important to our youngest residents who utilize day-care facilities in Providence on a daily basis. Improving conditions for them helps us take a major step forward, and I am pleased to support this very worthy project.
Lead poisoning is a serious disease caused by the ingestion of lead paint chips and dust.
Children under the age of six are especially sensitive to small amounts of lead. Lead poisoning can harm a child's developing brain and may result in problems with learning, behavior and coordination. The project, which will be administered by the R.I. Housing and Mortgage Finance Corp., will provide matching funds for facilities identified as posing a health risk based on a recent survey by the state Health Department. Completed last month, the Health Department surveyed about 220 licensed day-care facilities, of which roughly half are considered to be lead safe. The R.I. Department of Health commends the state's day-care facilities for their efforts to protect the health of our children.