Carnow Conibear Awarded Grant from NIH

Carnow Conibear was awarded a Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTT) grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) in response to a proposal to develop an inexpensive, commercially viable product that will permanently immobilize lead in soil and prevent it from being absorbed into the body.

Lead was an additive to gasoline until 1973 and to paint until 1978. Large quantities of lead are present in soil, especially soil in urban areas. Children under six who live in these areas, are found to have high blood lead levels. These high blood lead levels in children have been shown to later in life, be the cause of decreased IQ levels, increased criminal behavior and possibly other behavioral disorders. This problem is most prevalent in urban areas and often affects disadvantaged communities.

Carnow Conibear will use the grant to study the effectiveness of developing and using an inexpensive product to immobilize the lead and prevent its absorption into the body.

Results of this study will be published in late 2012.