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.
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.
