GRAND RAPIDS - A full-day training for nurses and other health professionals will be held at the Prince Conference Center at Calvin College. Come learn more about what you can do to help prevent childhood lead poisoning in our community!
Beginning April 2010, all renovators, remodelers and painters working in pre-1978 housing will be required to be an EPA-certified renovator trained in lead safe work practices. This requirement will apply to all renovation projects, not just lead abatement. Effected trades include remodelers, renovators, window replacement workers, painters, electricians, plumbers, and any other trades that disturb painted surfaces during the course of their work. Landlords who make repairs themselves will also be required to have this certification.
The Rental Property Owners Association (RPOA), in collaboration with the Healthy Homes Coalition and the Coalition to End Homelessness, is holding a special seminar entitled "Protecting Your Rental Business from Lead-based Paint Liabilities" January 19 at 6:00pm. The seminar will be held at the RPOA Learning Center, 1459 Michigan Street NE in Grand Rapids.
The seminar is being held in response to the recent Federal lawsuit against two Grand Rapids landlords for non-compliance with federal housing regulations.
December 29, 2009 - The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with two landlords for failing to inform tenants that their homes may contain potentially dangerous lead. The Grand Rapids owners have agreed to pay a $6,000 fine and to render their residential housing lead safe, at an estimated cost of nearly $350,000.
The Grand Rapids Press reports that federal prosecutors are seeking a judgement against a Grand Rapids landlord for failing to disclose lead-based paint hazards, inclusing hazards in a number of properties where children with confirmed lead poisoningdid reside.
WOOD-TV 8 is also reporting on this story.
GRAND RAPIDS - EPA-approved curriculum teaches homeowners, landlords, maintenance staff, and remodelers how to work lead-safe.
Hundreds of Kent County children are needlessly poisoned by lead every year.
To help our community's children thrive and succeed in life, we need to promise our children that the homes where they live are free from lead hazards. Lead poisoning is 100% preventable. If homes are made lead safe, children will be protected.
The Source
An estimated 90% of all childhood lead poisoning cases in Kent County are the result of deteriorating lead-based paint and lead dust found in the home. This dangerous dust can be found in any home built before 1978, the year lead-based paint was banned. More than 85% of the housing stock in the City of Grand Rapids, and many others throughout Kent County, were built before 1978.
Who is at Risk?
Infants and toddlers have the highest risk of being lead poisoned, especially when they are beginning to move around on their own.
What are the Symptoms?
There are no reliable symptoms of lead poisoning that can help parents detect the problem. Waiting for symptoms is dangerous, as visible symptoms come too late — after long-lasting damage to the child. Instead of relying on symptoms, parents should get a blood test for their child as recommended.
The Effects of Lead
- Brain damage
- Poor physical growth and development
- Social problems
- Behavioral problems
- Problems in school, learning disabilities
Solutions
Lead poisoning is 100% preventable! Making homes lead-safe prevents children from being poisoned. This website provides pages that can help Parents, Landlords and Community Partners in their efforts to protect our children.
To learn more about making homes lead-safe, contact the Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan at (616) 241-3300.
Making sure children grow up in homes that are healthy and safe is everyone’s job! The Healthy Homes Coalition is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Learn more about specific ways you can help protect children. Connect with us today!
742 Franklin St. SE // Grand Rapids, MI 49507 // 616.241.3300 p // 616.241.3327 f // info@healthyhomescoalition.org
Special thanks to the Dyer-Ives Foundation for their generous support of this website. © 2006-2010 Healthy Homes Coalition.
