2009 Lead Poisoning Rates

State Legislation

Lead Prevention Training

Landlord Training

Lead Safe Cleaning Practices

Partner of the Month: Michigan Family Resources

Hazard Reduction Committee
Meets at Home Repair Services, 1100 South Division
NEXT MEETING: 10:00am, Wed., April  28

Outreach Committee
Meets at the Baxter Community Center, 935 Baxter SE
NEXT MEETING: 3:30pm, Wed., April 22

Lead Hazard Control Partners
Meets at City Hall (fourth floor), 300 Monroe NW
NEXT MEETING: 8:30am, Tues., April 13

Lead Liability Training for Landlords
DeVos Plance, Room Monroe B
303 Monroe Ave NW
6:00 - 8:30pm, Thursday, April 22
Call (800) 701-7762 to register

Number of Tests

Number of Children with Lead Poisoning

Percent of Children Tested with Lead Poisoning

Fixing Homes

Homes repaired by the City of Grand Rapids Get the Lead Out! Lead Hazard Control Program

Lead Poisoning Rates in Kent County Reach Important Benchmarks

The Michigan Department of Community Health has released surveillance data for 2009 and the numbers for Kent County have reached two important benchmarks.  Rates for both Kent County and the City of Grand Rapids continue to drop.

In Kent County, 8.487 children less than six years of age were tested in 2009.  Only 75 children were identified with elevated blood lead levels exceeding 10.0 micrograms per deciliter.  This is the first time blood lead levels have dropped below triple digits for Kent County, an important milestone.  These 75 children represent 0.9% of those tested, another milestone as the percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels drops below one-percent.

However, in the city of Grand Rapids the situation is not as favorable.  Sixty-nine children had elevated blood lead levels, representing 1.7% of those tested, nearly twice the county average.  Fifty-two of these children were one or two years old.

The decrease in the number and children lead poisoned is certainly a reason for celebration, but not without being mindful of the children who are still exposed--in their own homes--to a toxin that causes brain damage and has a lasting impact upon the children exposed.  With only 50% of one and two-year olds who live in Grand Rapids receiving required blood lead testing, it is reasonable to expect that there are an equal number of children for whom lead poisoning has gone undiagnosed.

The Michigan Department of Community Health requires that all one and two-year olds in the city of Grand Rapids receive an annual blood lead test. Last year, 2,970 of those children were tested (50.4%).  The number of one and two-year olds in Grand Rapids receiving blood lead tests has been on a decline since 2006, when 4,103 children were tested. 

For more on the State of Michigan's blood lead screening and testing plan, click here. 

State Legislature Considers Oversight of EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule

Bills have been introduced into both chambers of the Michigan Legislature to allow the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) to assume responsibility for the oversight and enforcement of the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule.  Beginning April 22, the EPA rule will require all contractors and landlords working in pre-1978 target housing and child-occupied facilities to be certified and to use lead-safe work practices.  The State bills would allow MDCH to work as EPA's agent in certification and enforcement.

MDCH review of 12 months of data from October 2008 - October 2009 revealed that 41% of children with elevated blood lead levels live in housing that has seen remodeling activity in the past 12 months.  Compliance with the RRP rule will help to protect children from lead hazards created by unsafe remodeling activities.

Senator Birkholz introduced the Senate bill and Chairs the Senate Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee where the bill was sent for action.  In the House, Representative Warren sponsored the bill and chairs the House Great Lakes and Environmental Committee where the house bill was sent for action. The House committee has already approved the bill and sent ti to the House floor for a vote.  Both of the bills are similar and also seek to update other aspects of the existing State act. Here are links to the text of the bills as introduced (HB-4591, SB-1210).

If you would like to see oversight of the RRP rest with Lansing, or have other comments on the pending legislation, you are encouraged to send correspondence to:

House of Representatives

The Honorable Rebekah Warren, Chair
House Great Lake and Environmental Committee
987 Anderson House Office Building
PO Box 30014
Lansing 48909-7514

Your letter should refer to House Bill 5931.  Please address your letter as follows: "Dear Chairwoman Warren and members of the House Great Lakes and Environment Committee"

E-mail your letter to rebekahwarren@house.mi.go

Senate

The Honorable Patricia Birkholz, Chair
Senate Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee
805 Farnum Building
PO Box 30036
Lansing 48909

Your letter should refer to Senate Bill 1210.  Please address your letter as follows: "Dear Chairwoman Birkholtz and members of the Senate Natural Resources and Environmental Committee"

E-mail your letter to senpbirkholz@senate.michigan.gov

35 People Trained in Lead Prevention, Asthma Treatment

On March 12, the Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan and the Asthma Network of West Michigan hosted a full day training for nurses, health professionals, and others on steps they can take to help prevent lead poisoning and to help children suffering from asthma.  Due in part to housing conditions, communities with children with asthma are often the same as those with high lead poisoning rates.  Children who live in these communities experience high risk for both health conditions.

Landlord Training Scheduled for April 22

The Rental Property Owners Association, in partnership with Healthy Homes and the City of Grand Rapids, is offering a workshop entitled Protecting Your Rental Business from Lead-Based Paint Thursday, April 22 at 6:00pm at DeVos Place (Monroe B).  This workshop will teach about the new federal EPA regulations that go into effect on that day.

Attendees will also learn about other local, state and federal regulations that pertain to lead paint and resources available to landlords to make their properties lead-safe and to protect their businesses from lead-based paint liability.  To register for this free workshop, call (800) 701-7762.

Spread the word!

Lead Safe Cleaning Practices Classes Available to YOUR Constituents

The Healthy Homes Coalition continues to look for partners to help organize Lead-Safe Cleaning Practices classes for their constituents.  Participating organizations get $25 for every eligible household that attends.

The class is 90-minutes long and teaches low-cost and no-cost strategies parents can take to better protect their children from lead in the home.  Parents are also made aware of more in-depth helps such as the City of Grand Rapids Get the Lead Out! Lead Hazard Control program.  And they leave armed with the unique mops and buckets the Healthy Homes Coalition recommends for cleaning up lead dust.

Eligible families must be low-moderate income and have a resident child 0-5 years of age or pregnant woman residing in the home.  For more information about how your organization can earn some cash and benefit your families at the same time, contact Courtney Myers-Keaton at (616) 241-3300 or courtney@healthyhomescoalition.org.

Get the Lead Out! Partner of the Month: Michigan Family Resources

Michigan Family Resources (MFR) is the local Head Start service provider, serving more than 1,800 young children, birth through age four, with early childhood education and support services.

Because of their target audience, MFR is a natural partner for reaching parents of young children.  To qualify for services, families must also be low income, which means many of the children served by MFR live in older housing with potential lead hazards.  MFR has partnered with the Get the Lead Out! campaign to offer Lead-Safe Cleaning Practices training to parents at a number of their sites

MFR not only trains their workers in childhood lead poisoning prevention and promotes lead safety with parents, but they also make sure kids get tested.  Through a combination of education, referrals, confirmation, and testing, MFR has made sure that all but 139 of their more than 1,893 children have been tested this year--an amazing success rate of nearly 93%!