Legislative declaration

(1) (a) The general assembly hereby declares that this part 11 is enacted for the purpose of reducing exposure of children to lead hazards and reducing the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels in children under seven years of age. The general assembly finds and determines that: (I) Exposure of children to lead represents a significant environmental health problem in the state that is preventable; (II) The existence of elevated blood lead levels in children is of great concern to the citizens of Colorado because lead poisoning in children may necessitate large expenditures of public funds for health care and special education, which expenditures could be avoided if exposure of children to lead is reduced; (III) A comprehensive lead hazard reduction program is needed to prevent elevated blood lead levels in children and, if implemented, such program could prevent hundreds of Colorado's children, many of whom currently go undiagnosed or untreated, from being exposed to lead at levels believed to be harmful. (b) Therefore, it is the intent of the general assembly to establish and fund a statewide lead hazard prevention, intervention, and reduction program within the department of public health and environment for the purposes of: (I) Compiling information concerning the prevalence, causes, and geographic occurrence of elevated levels of lead in children's blood; (II) Identifying areas of the state where children's lead exposures are significant; (III) Analyzing lead information and, where indicated, designing and implementing a program of medical monitoring and follow-up and environmental intervention that will reduce the incidence of excessive exposure of children to lead in residences and child-occupied facilities in Colorado; and (IV) Providing comprehensive educational materials that are targeted to health-care providers, child care providers, schools, parents of young children, the real estate industry, and owners of rental properties.