The state Department of Health kicked off a statewide #kNOwLEAD public education campaign to coincide with this week’s observance of National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.

The campaign aims to increase awareness of lead hazards for children, educate parents about the risks of lead exposure in children and encourage them to get their children tested at ages 1 and 2.

Commissioner Cathleen Bennett, Assistant Commissioner Dr. Arturo Brito and other Department officials are speaking to public health and medical organizations at events such as the annual WIC conference to discuss the campaign and ask stakeholders to work with the Department in promoting awareness. The campaign features a new childhood lead webpage (nj.gov/health/childhoodlead) with downloadable posters, video messages in English and Spanish, newspaper op-eds, bus advertisements in Hudson County and corner store advertising in the eight counties where children are at high risk of lead exposure: Cumberland, Essex, Hudson, Union, Mercer, Middlesex, Ocean and Passaic.

DOH also urges stakeholders to support – and share – the campaign on Twitter and Facebook under the hashtag #kNOwLEAD.

In addition, the Department of Community Affairs announced on Friday that eight nonprofit organizations have been selected as part of a $10 million pilot program to identify and remediate lead-based paint hazards in low- and moderate-income households, particularly where children and pregnant women risk permanent harm to their health. The pilot program will target Camden, East Orange, Elizabeth, Irvington, Jersey City, Newark, Passaic, Paterson, Plainfield and Trenton.