Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today made the following remarks regarding the Committee's approval of the Protect Pregnant Women and Children from Dangerous Lead Exposures Act of 2008:

Senator Boxer said: "Today the Senate Environment and Public Works committee has acted to show EPA that it must listen to the science and set standards that will protect pregnant women and children from the risks of lead exposure."

The Protect Pregnant Women and Children from Dangerous Lead Exposures Act of 2008, which was sponsored by Senator Boxer, requires EPA to use the best available science to set a new standard that protects the most vulnerable in society from the dangerous impacts of lead. Lead is a toxin that harms the nervous and reproductive systems, and is especially dangerous for infants and young children.

The committee also passed an amendment, sponsored by Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), to the Protect Pregnant Women and Children from Dangerous Lead Exposures Act of 2008, which strengthened the protections for cleanup of lead paint. The legislation will now go to the full Senate for consideration.

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