GRAND RAPIDS – A coalition of 24 community organizations presented a position paper to the Grand Rapids City Commission on September 27 calling for cooperation to address growing housing concerns as a result of the recent changes in the real estate market.
A new report prepared by the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health, of which the Healthy Homes Coalition is a member, reports estimates the annual environmentally attributable costs of lead poisoning at $3.2 - $4.85 billion for Michigan residents.
Beginning April 22, all renovators, remodelers and painters working in pre-1978 housing are now required to be an EPA-certified renovator trained in lead safe work practices. This requirement applies 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 are also required to have this certification.
The Healthy Homes Coalition will be hosting their Annual Meeting 4:30pm Thursday, August 5.
Get the Lead Out! and Healthy Homes are the cover story for the MiBiz Sustainability Report for this quarter.
National and Local Experts Urge Lead Poisoning Testing For Children.
50% of children in Grand Rapids are not being tested for lead poisoning at the critical ages of 1 and 2.
GRAND RAPIDS – The Grand Rapids Get The Lead Out! campaign has been successful on many fronts. The number of homes having lead based paint abated is increasing. Yet an alarming number of children are not being tested for lead poisoning at the critical ages of 1 and 2.
“In children, lead can cause nervous system and kidney damage, learning disabilities, speech, language problems, decreased muscle and bone growth and hearing damage,” said Joan Dyer-Zykowski, Kent County Health Department Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Manager. "The majority of children lead poisoned in Grand Rapids are between one and two years old."
The City of Grand Rapids Get the Lead Out! program is offering free lead training for professionals seeking to enter the lead hazard control, abatement and assessment fields. This is an opportunity for small business owners from the affected communities to receive free training to make them eligible for lead hazard control work funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The Healthy Homes Coalition is partnering with Home Repair Services to provide a Lead Safe Painting and Home Repair workshop for do-it-yourself home owners interested in making home repairs in a lead-safe fashion.
The Detroit Free Press published an indepth article on Sunday, May 16 that looks at the link between lead and learning. The article features a look at children's blood lead levels relative to their performance on MEAP scores later in life.
The US-EPA has launched a portal on its website where homeowners can find contractors who have been trained and certified in how to safely make repairs so that children are not exposed to lead hazards. The searchable database can be accessed by clicking here.
In 2007 alone, 166 Kent County children under the age of six had blood-lead levels that required intervention from the public health department.
More than a thousand additional children had enough lead in their blood to limit their growth and impair their brain development.
The prevelance of lead-based paint and lead dust in older homes creates a very real challenge for parents raising young children. Lead poisoning is not just a matter of whether or not a child eats paint chips or is otherwise neglected, but is most often the result of invisible, poisonous dust that is found in older homes. The dust is hard to see, as are the immediate results of lead poisoning.
The Source
An estimated 90% of childhood lead poisoning cases in Kent County are the result of deteriorating lead-based paint and lead dust found in the home. While lead in paint was not banned until 1978, this dangerous dust is found with the greatest frequency in older homes built before 1950. This includes expensive Heritage Hill homes as well as small, affordable apartments.
Hazardous lead dust is found most frequently around the windows and on the floor near entryways. But in older homes, it can be found in many places.
It is not necessary for your child to eat paint chips to be lead poisoned. Simply getting the lead dust particles on his or her hands and toys can result in your child swallowing lead.
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 or permanent damage to the child. Instead of relying on symptoms, parents should get their children tested. Check out the Testing Your Child for Lead page for more information.
The Effects of Lead
Lead poisoning in children causes life-long brain damage. Even small amounts of lead can have negative effects on children:- Brain damage
- Poor physical growth and development
- Social problems
- Behavioral problems
- Problems in school, learning disabilities
Solutions
Members of the Healthy Homes Coalition believe all parents are working hard to help their children grow up healthy and strong, but, despite good parents' best intentions, invisible lead dust can still slip by and harm our kids.
Just knowing that lead poisoning is a problem in the community is the first step toward protecting your child. Informed parents can learn how to safely maintain their apartments and homes. Read the Checking Your Home for Lead and Fixing Lead Hazards pages for more information. Informed parents can also make sure their children receive the health care that is recommended to protect against lead poisoning. See the Testing Your Child for Lead page.
To learn more about protecting kids from lead, 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.
