January-February 2008
(Highlights)

• Alliance Welcomes New Executive Director
• Judge Throws Out Toledo’s Lawsuit against Former Lead Pigment Companies
• Campaign to Make Model Code More Health Protective Moves Forward
• Paint Companies Oppose Proposed Rhode Island Lead Cleanup Plan While State Supreme Court Upholds Lead Law
• Product Safety Reform Passes House, Bogs Down in Senate

November-December 2007
(Highlights)

• CDC Issues New Guidelines on Interpreting and Managing Blood Lead Levels Less than 10 Micrograms per Deciliter in Children
• Legislation Intended to Ban Asbestos Does No Such Thing
• Healthy Homes Appropriations Update
• Clinton Introduces Lead Poisoning Prevention Legislation
• As CPSC Reform Bill Advances, New Allegations of Industry Influence Arise

September-October 2007
(Highlights)

• As Recalls Multiply, CPSC Claims It Will “Ban” Lead in Children’s Products
• FEMA Says Katrina Trailer Residents Can Now Move to Hotels
• Groups File Petition Urging EPA, CPSC to Regulate Air Fresheners
• Senate Slightly Cuts Funding for Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control Program
• District of Columbia Seeks to Hold Landlords Accountable in Lead Paint Suits, Criminal Complaint

July-August 2007
(Highlights)

• FEMA Deliberately Ignored Formaldehyde Danger in “Katrina Trailers”
• Minnesota Passes Law Mandating Radon-Resistant Construction for New Homes
• New Hampshire Enacts New Lead Law; Lowers Blood Lead Action Level
• Ohio Cities Lower Blood Lead Action Level
• Connecticut Passes Mandatory Blood Lead Testing Law

May-June 2007
(Highlights)

• Ohio Files Lawsuit Against Former Pigment Manufacturers; Additional Developments in Other Cases
• North Carolina Study Shows Significant Costs of Unhealthy Housing
• Alliance, National Center for Healthy Housing Comment on Remodeling and Renovation Studies
• California to Limit Formaldehyde in Wood Products
• Baroody Withdraws as Nominee to Head Consumer Product Safety Commission

March-April 2007
(Highlights)

• Walter Reed Army Medical Center Exposed for Providing Substandard Housing to Wounded Veterans
• FY 2008 Budget Proposal Falls Short on Healthy Homes Funding
• Red Cross-Clorox Pesticide Marketing Deal Could Endanger Consumers
• Solis and Durbin Introduce Bills to Implement Federal Environmental Justice Order
• Rhode Island Case against Paint Companies Moves Forward

January-February 2007
(Highlights)

• Ohio Governor Vetoes Bill Limiting Municipal Lawsuits Against Lead Pigment Manufacturers
• St. Louis Lawsuit Against Former Lead Pigment Manufacturers Moves Forward
• City of Los Angeles Joins Lead Paint Lawsuit in California
• New York City Places Hundreds of Homeless Families in Lead-Tainted Apartments in Effort to Save Taxpayer Dollars
• EPA Tells Industry to Keep Carcinogenic Wood Preservative Out of Household Products

December 2006
(Highlights)

• San Mateo County, CA, Joins Lawsuit Against Former Lead Pigment Manufacturers
• Lead, Solvents, Other Chemicals Impair Brain Development in Millions of Children
• Prenatal Exposure to Pesticide Linked to ADHD, Other Problems
• Fetal Lead Exposure in First Trimester May Have Lasting Effects
• Medicaid Management Institute Recommends Use of WIC Clinics to Test Children for Lead

November 2006
(Highlights)

• Three Members of Congress Join Lawsuit Against EPA Pesticide Testing Rule
• Akron Joins Other Ohio Cities in Suing Former Lead Pigment Makers
• California Enacts Law Reducing Lead in Plumbing Fixtures
• EPA Issues Final Air Quality Criteria for Lead Emissions
• Alliance Continues Healthy Homes Rebuilding Efforts in Gulf Coast Region

October 2006
(Highlights)

• Cincinnati City Council Unanimously Enacts Tougher Lead Poisoning Prevention Ordinance
• Toledo Sues Former Lead Pigment Manufacturers
• Low Level Lead and Prenatal Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposures Tied to ADHD
• Sen. Obama, Others Send Follow-Up Letter to EPA on Remodeling and Renovation Rule
• Sierra Club Sues EPA over Lead in Toy Jewelry

September 2006
(Highlights)

• Fourteen States Demand More Complete Pesticide Labels
• FEMA to Test Hurricane Evacuee Trailers for Formaldehyde Contamination
• Delaware Passes New Radon Testing Law
• Alabama Tenants Get Legal Protections
• Ohio Bill Would Help Low-Income Homeowners Address Lead Hazards

August 2006
(Highlights)

• Residents of Eastern US on the Lookout for Mold, Structural Damage Following Heavy Summer Flooding
• EPA Denies Sierra Club Petition on Lead in Toy Jewelry
• Scientists Say EPA Isn’t Protecting Children from Toxic Chemicals
• Alliance Increasing Capacity for Healthy Rebuilding in Hurricane Katrina Aftermath
• NL Industries Blames the Victims in Mississippi Lead Poisoning Case, Prevails

July 2006
(Highlights)

• Pesticide Industry Heavily Influenced OMB And EPA on Human Testing Rule; Industry Says “Never say never” to Testing Pesticides on Children
• House of Representatives Pushes Forward with Several FY07 Appropriations Bills
• Investigation Shows Lead in DC Water May Have Been More Harmful than First Described
• Minnesota Joins Eight Other States in Requiring Carbon Monoxide Detectors in All Single-Family Homes and Apartment Complexes
• Local Radon Reduction Policies Move Forward

June 2006
(Highlights)

• Comment Period Closes on EPA Remodeling and Renovation Rule
• HUD Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control Names New Director
• EPA to Restrict Some Uses of Pest Strip Insecticide
• Alliance, Environmental Health Watch, and Cleveland Tenants Organization Release Healthy Homes Curriculum for Older Americans
• EPA Seeking Comments on Sierra Club Petition for Action Against Lead in Toy Jewelry

May 2006
(Highlights)

• EPA Remodeling and Renovation Rule Comment Deadline is May 25
• Organizations Urge HUD to Move Healthy Homes Discussion Beyond Education and into Practice
• Boston Lawyer-Doctor Child Health Collaboration to Go National
• Newport, Rhode Island, Housing Authority Adopts Healthy Homes Resolution
• Environmental Health Perspectives Focuses on Asthma

April 2006
(Highlights)

• Illinois Legislature Passes Landmark Lead Poisoning Prevention Legislation
• Death of Minneapolis Child Prompts Call for Consumer Product Lead Ban
• Ohio Supreme Court Orders Release of Lead Hazard Citation Records
• Alliance Presented with Children’s Environmental Health Recognition Award
• Proposed EPA R&R Rule Comment Period Extended to May 25

March 2006
(Highlights)

• Rhode Island Jury Decides Lead Paint is a Public Nuisance and Pigment Makers Must Help Clean It Up
• Chicago Families’ Class Action Lawsuit Against Lead Paint Industry Reinstated
• EPA To Hold Meetings about the Renovation and Remodeling Rule
• Doctors, Public Health Officials Decry Bush Proposal to Dismantle National Children’s Study
• Groups Sue EPA Over New Human Pesticide Testing Rules

February 2006
(Highlights)

• Proposed FY 2007 Federal Budget Underfunds Core Commitments to Healthy Homes
• Rhode Island Judge Rules State Lead Law Unconstitutional
• Rhode Island Case Against Lead Pigment Companies in Hands of Jury
• Targeted Comments Encouraged on EPA Remodeling and Renovation Rule
• EPA Issues Final Rule on Testing Pesticides on Humans

January 2006
(Highlights)

• EPA Proposes Lead-Safe Remodeling and Renovation Rule
• “Smart” Rochester Lead Ordinance Passes Unanimously
• New York County Issues Report on Lead Poisoning Prevention Pilot Project
• Inspector General Issues Final Report on HUD’s FY 2004 Healthy Homes and Lead Grant Award Improprieties
• January is Radon Action Month

December 2005
(Highlights)

• High Home Heating Costs Could Endanger Low-Income Americans
• Alliance-Sponsored Panel Explores Health and Housing After Hurricanes
• National Radon Summit Explores Strategies to Address Deadly Gas
• Experts Advise IPM to Combat Post-Katrina Fly Infestation
• Congress Passes FY06 Budgets for Lead Paint, Healthy Homes, and Weatherization Programs

November 2005
(Highlights)

• Alliance Launches CDC Lead Poisoning Prevention Appropriations Campaign
• Organizations and Individuals Endorse Public Health and Environmental Justice Principles in Hurricane Recovery
• American Academy of Pediatrics Calls for Housing-Based Approach for Preventing Childhood Lead Poisoning
• Housing Bill Passes House with Affordable Housing Fund, Nonprofit Gag Rule Intact
• Representatives and Senators Call for Environmental Health Protections in the Wake of Hurricanes

October 2005
(Highlights)

• Alliance Welcomes New Executive Director
• Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Put Healthy Homes Issues on the Front Burner
• Child Health Advocates Say EPA’s Proposed Pesticide Testing Rule Leaves Gaps in Protection for Women and Children
• Federal Advisory Panel Urges More Protection for Children in Research
• EPA Enforces Pre-Renovation Disclosure Rule for First Time

September 2005
(Highlights)

• Alliance Survey Documents Significant Difficulties with FY05 HUD SuperNOFA Application Process
• New Jersey Appeals Court Reinstates Lawsuit Against Lead Pigment Manufacturers
• Congress Sets EPA’s FY 2006 Budget
• Alliance Releases Report Detailing Lack of Progress on Lead Testing in Medicaid-Eligible Children
• Proposed Revised Rules for Testing Pesticides on Humans Spark Immediate Criticism

August 2005
(Highlights)

• Wisconsin Supreme Court Gives Green Light to Teenager's Lawsuit Against Lead Pigment Companies
• GAO Expresses Concern over EPA’s Ability to Protect Public from Toxic Chemicals
• CDC Issues Third National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals
• Draft Rules for Testing Pesticides on Humans Draw Fire, Congress Agrees on Human Testing Language
• Washington State Research Shows Increased Health Care Costs from Toxins

July 2005
(Highlights)

• House Restores Funding for Lead Hazard Control, Keeps CDC Environmental Health Appropriations Level with FY 2005
• EPA Cancels Lead-Safe Remodeling Voluntary Program as Advocates Press for Regulations
• DuPont Agrees to Settlement in Rhode Island Lawsuit Against Lead Paint Manufacturers
• CDC Announces Availability of Building Blocks Online Resource
• Maine Enacts New Lead Poisoning Prevention Laws

June 2005
(Highlights)

• HUD Inspector General Confirms Breakdown in Lead Safety and Healthy Homes Grants Process
• Don Ryan Bids Farewell, Alliance Launches National Search for New Executive Director
• U.S. Supreme Court Says Pesticide Makers Can be Sued for Damaging Property and Endangering Consumers
• Thirty-Nine Senators Ask Appropriations Subcommittee to Increase Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control Funding
• House Passes FY 2006 EPA Budget

May 2005
(Highlights)

• Environmental and Public Health Groups Express Guarded Optimism for Updated EPA Cancer-Risk Guidelines
• U.S. Attorney in Minnesota Settles Two Significant Lead Disclosure Cases
• Budget Resolution Passes in Congress; Senators Express Skepticism of HUD Budget
• EPA Cancels CHEERS Study on Pesticides and Children
• Baltimore Mayor Antes Up City Funds for Lead Poisoning Prevention

April 2005
(Highlights)

• Cushing Dolbeare, Champion of Affordable Housing (1927-2005)
• EPA Abandons Lead-Safe Remodeling and Renovation Regulation
• HUD Announces Availability of Lead and Healthy Homes Grants
• Senate Appropriations Reorganizes Subcommittee Structure
• New Jersey Program Targets Lead Hazards before a Child is Born

March 2005
(Highlights)

• House Reorganizes Appropriations Subcommittees, Scattering Constituencies and Complicating FY06 Appropriations Process
• Massachusetts Legislators Introduce Bill Requiring Insurance Plans to Cover Asthma Education
• CA Air Resources Board Warns Against Indoor Air “Purifiers”
• NY Appellate Court Rejects Challenge to New York City’s Lead Law
• DC Water Utility Violated Federal Law with False Claims about Lead Safety

February 2005
(Highlights)

• Administration Proposes Significant Cuts to Important Domestic Programs in FY06 Budget
• EPA Orders Dow to Stop Marketing Dursban for Residential Uses
• Maryland Governor Proposes Legislation Targeting Lead Poisoning
• CDC Lauds Central Harlem Asthma Initiative
• Surgeon General Renews Warning on Radon

January 2005
(Highlights)

• California Case Study Documents Human and Economic Costs of Asthma
• ARC Paper Highlights Success of Asthma Interventions in the Home
• CDC Lead Poisoning Prevention Funding Remains Level in FY05
• HUD Rejects Call to Require IPM in Public Housing
• MI Enacts Penalties for Renting Properties With Lead Hazards, Creates Lead-Safe Housing Registry

December 2004
(Highlights)

• Congress Approves FY05 Funding Levels, Cuts Key Programs
• HUD Letter Reveals Lack of Grant Application Review
• Alliance Publishes Lead-Safe Housing Policy Guidance
• Lead Paint Lawsuits Move Forward in Milwaukee and Rhode Island
• HUD and EPA Settle Large Lead Hazard Disclosure Case Against Massachusetts Landlord

November 2004
(Highlights)

• HUD Inspector General Opens Investigation of Breakdown of Grants
• Mold Was Prevalent Legislative Issue in 2004
• EPA, Tenants Hold Landlords Accountable in Lead Hazard Disclosure Cases
• NJ Adopts Regulations for New State Lead Hazard Control Loan and Grant Program
• Health Becomes Major Concern for HOPE VI Program, Housing Quality Improves for Relocated Families

October 2004
(Highlights)

• Senate Appropriations Committee Approves VA-HUD Bill
• HUD Announces Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes Grants
• Lead in Water Controversy Not Isolated to DC
• New York and Other States Sue HUD over IPM
• Comment Period on CRA Proposal Extended to October 20

September 2004
(Highlights)

• Cleveland Ordinance Establishes New Lead Safety Rules and Incentives for Property Owners
• Jacobs Cleared of Charges, Shuffled Aside
• FDIC Proposal Would Undercut Investments in Low-Income Housing
• Proposed Baltimore Ordinance Would Limit Landlord Liability on Lead Poisoning
• Integrated Pest Management Beats Spraying Against Roaches

August 2004
(Highlights)

• House Appropriations Committee Recommends HUD Funding Levels for FY 2005
• Rhode Island Delays Implementation of Lead Law, Passes Abatement Tax Credit
• Alliance Releases Guide to Federal Medical Privacy Law
• Alliance Publishes Framework for Adopting Effective Standards for Lead-Safe Housing
• National Housing Trust Fund Discharge Petition Filed in the House

July 2004
(Highlights)

• Monroe County, NY, to Begin Dust Wipe Sampling in All Lead Investigations
• HUD, U.S. Attorney Announce Enforcement Settlements Against Minnesota Landlords
• Federal Budget Process Bill Defeated in the House
• HUD Publishes Evaluation of Lead Hazard Control Grant Program
• Parent Named to CDC Lead Poisoning Prevention Advisory Committee

June 2004
(Highlights)

• New NAS Damp Indoor Spaces Report Notes Health Impacts and Calls for More Research
• HUD Releases SuperNOFA
• San Francisco Passes Indoor Lead-Safe Work Practices Ordinance
• DC Water Agency Studying Water Treatment, Meters for Impacts on Lead Levels
• Budget Process Reforms Repackaged in House Bills

May 2004
(Highlights)

• House and Senate Members Call to Boost Healthy Homes Funding
• HUD Threatens to Fire Dave Jacobs
• 2005 Budget Resolution Proves Elusive
• New HUD Policy Denies Section 8 Vouchers to Thousands of Families
• Lead-Safe Work Practices Training Course Now Available in Spanish

April 2004
(Highlights)

• Alliance Calls for Boosting Healthy Homes Funding
• Water Not the Only Source of Lead Hazards in Washington, DC
• Children’s Environmental Health Network Releases Environmental Health Report Card
• Recent Research Finds Dozens of Toxins in Household Air and Dust
• Hardware and Home Improvement Stores Dispensing Dangerous Advice

March 2004
(Highlights)

• Proposed Budget Rules Would Cut Domestic Spending
• Alliance Calls for Boosting Healthy Homes Funding
• DC Health Department Issues Lead Advisory
• New England Study Reveals High Incidence of Asthma
• FHA Mortgage Applicants to Receive Radon Information

February 2004
(Highlights)

• FY04 Budget Passes; Budget Cuts Proposed for FY05
• High Lead Levels Discovered in DC Water
• New Jersey Passes Lead Hazard Control Bill
• Victory on NYC Lead Poisoning Prevention Law
• Mold Exposure Linked to Childhood Asthma Risk

January 2004
(Highlights)

• Funding Decisions Still Pending for FY04
• American Dream Act Signed
• New Standards Issued on Indoor Air Ventilation
• NYC Advocates Near Victory on Lead Poisoning Prevention Law
• Lead Poisoning Prevention Bills Advance in Michigan

November 2003
(Highlights)

• Call to Action - Contact Congress about Lead and Healthy Homes Funding
• Endorse the National Housing Trust Fund
• CDC Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Update
• HUD Faulted on Pesticde Policy

October 2003
(Highlights)

• HUD Announces Grant Decisions
• Cities Spotlight Problem Landlords
• National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week
• October Celebrates Healthy Homes & Children’s Health

September 2003
(Highlights)

• Senate VA-HUD Bill Restores Funding Cut
• Michigan Governor Releases New State Lead Poisoning Prevention Action Plan
• Illinois Law Seeks to Eliminate Pesticide Exposure in Day Care Facilities
• Judge Dismisses Milwaukee's Case Against the Lead Industry

August 2003
(Highlights)

• The Alliance Has Expanded Our Mission and Changed Our Name
• Mold Becoming a High Priority in Many States
• Updated Training Course on Lead-Safe Work Practices Now Available
• Los Angeles Pilot Program Treats Lead Hazards as Code Violations
• Report Analyzes Toxic Body Burdens by Race

May/June 2003
(Highlights)

• Greensboro Advocates Win New Code Enforcement System
• Community Testing Documents Widespread Lead Hazards in NYC Neighborhood
• Paint Industry to Put Warning Labels on Paint Cans
• Changes Proposed to Section 8 Voucher Program
• Studies Link Lead to Cognitive Deficits Below 10 µg/dL and Delayed Puberty

March/April 2003
(Highlights)

• EPA Report Documents National Trends in Children’s Environmental Health
• Mary Jean Brown to Head CDC’s Lead Branch
• Report Linking Lead Bill Inaction to Campaign Cash Breaks NYC Council Logjam
• Rhode Island’s Comprehensive Strategic Plan
• Chicago's City Wide Summit
• Strategic Planning Workshop May 15 in New Orleans

January/February 2003
(Highlights)

• Congress Increases HUD's Lead Safety Grants
• Inviting Nominations: Building Blocks for Primary Prevention
• CDC Releases National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Toxins
• Ohio Advocates Win New Lead Law
• HUD Announces Operation LEAP Grantees
• CEHRC Launches First Hazard Assessment Materials In Spanish

November/December 2002
(Highlights)

• Community Environmental Health Resource Center Launches Website
• Significant Developments in Lead Industry Lawsuits
• Philadelphia Establishes Lead Court for Negligent Property Owners
• Department of Energy Encourages Weatherization Crews to Receive Training in Lead-Safe Work Practices
• Scientists Use Data to Predict Lead Exposure Risk in Properties
• EPA Encourages Schools and Daycare Facilities to Test Drinking Water
• CDC Announces Effort to Track Environmental Linkages to Disease

September/October 2002
(Highlights)

• Chicago Sues the Lead Industry
• Rhode Island's Case Against the Lead Industry Unfolds
• New Book Explores the Lead and Chemical Industries' Negligence
• CDC Advisory Committee Proposes Alternative to State Waivers for Medicaid Screening
• Bush Administration Seeks to Stack CDC Lead Advisory Panel

July/August 2002
(Highlights)

• Senate Appropriations Committee Recommends Big Increase in HUD’s Lead Safety Grants
• Rhode Island Lawsuit Goes to Trial
• International Program Prepares for World Summit on Sustainable Development
• District of Columbia Enacts Universal Lead Screening Law
• Rochester Commits $5 M to Lead Poisoning Prevention
• Report Details Lead Poisoning in New York City
• Study Examines Maternal Bone Lead as a Risk Factor for Infant Exposure

May/June 2002
(Highlights)

• Legislative Victory in Rhode Island
• US Court of Appeals Rejects Challenge to EPA's Lead Hazard Standards
• CDC Releases Guidelines for Case Management of Lead Poisoned Children
• HHS to Continue Oversight of Medicaid Screening
• Court Upholds Private Suits to Enforce Federal Medicaid Compliance
• Researchers Estimate Lead Poisoning Prevention Saves Billions of Dollars

March/April 2002
(Highlights)

• Protest Grows Over HHS Plan to Retreat on Medicaid Screening
• Help Needed Now to Win Funding Increase for FY 2003
• Bravo, Indiana!
• Major Legislative Victory for Maine Children
• HUD Calls for Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes Applications
• CEHRC Seeks Proposals for Healthy Homes Projects
• New York Appeals Court Reinstates Local Law 38 -- Advocates Support a New Lead Paint Bill

January/February 2002
(Highlights)

• Advocates Urge President Bush to Support Industry Accountability
• EPA To Triple Lead Disclosure Enforcement
• Rhode Island Wins Major Victory in Lawsuit Against Paint Companies
• New Jersey Counties and Cities Flock to Sue Lead Industry
• Maryland Courts Allow Tenants to Sue Public Housing Agencies
• Maryland Court Dismisses Property Owners' Case Against Lead Industry

November/December 2001
(Highlights)

• Newark Files Suit Against the Lead Industry
• New York Court of Appeals Expands Tenants Ability to Sue
• Boston Advocates Set Goal of Ending Lead Poisoning by 2005
• New Studies Explore Increased Blood Lead Levels Among Iron Deficient Children and Children in the Foster Care System
• U.S. Senate Hearing Focuses on Need for Increased Spending on Lead Poisoning Prevention
• Poverty Law Journal Publishes Article on Environmental Strategies for Housing