Comment
Period Closes on EPA Remodeling and Renovation Rule
The public comment period on the proposed U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) remodeling and renovation rule closed on May 25. The
Agency received hundreds of comments that illustrate the potential impact should
the rule be revised to be most protective of American children and their families.
Agency staff will be reviewing these materials to improve the final plan in
the months ahead. Their professional judgment about the how protective the ultimate
rule should be is then subject to change by the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB), which will again weigh the benefits of protecting children against claims
by a handful of business interests.
Many lead poisoning prevention and healthy homes advocates
and organizations criticized the rule for being too weak or poorly focused on
procedures and outcomes that wouldn’t do much to prevent the creation
of lead hazards during remodeling or renovation work. EPA does not plan to prohibit
dangerous work practices such as uncontrolled power sanding, sandblasting and
hydroblasting, or open flame torching and burning, remodeling and renovation
methods proven to create and widely disperse significant lead hazards. The proposed
rule’s “white cloth” test would allow an improbable standard
for proving no lead dust has been left behind: if an electrostatic cloth matches
up to a “clean” white card, remodelers and painters would not be
required to do any further clean-up. Lead poisoning prevention professionals
asserted that such a test is not a scientifically proven proxy for a clearance
test and can never show that invisible particles of lead have actually been
removed from the home.
Not all comments urged EPA to strengthen and refocus the
proposed rule. The National Association of Home Builders complained that the
rule would unduly burden contractors and rental property owners, sending compliance
costs skyrocketing. Healthy homes practitioners counter this argument by saying
that even EPA’s own economic analysis overestimated unintended adverse
economic impact of the rule and said that the true potential cost of the rule
has been exaggerated.
To view the entire comment docket online, visit www.regulations.gov.
Once there, select “All Documents” (instead of the default “Documents
Open for Comment”), “ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY” as the
agency, “Proposed Rules” (instead of the default “All Document
Types”), and insert “renovation” as the keyword in the search.
Many comments are available as Word or PDF files.
HUD Office
of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control Names New Director
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
recently named Jon Gant as the new director of the Office of Healthy Homes and
Lead Hazard Control (OHHLHC). Gant will oversee disbursement and monitoring
of all Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes Initiative Grants, administration
of HUD’s lead hazard regulations, and guiding OHHLHC and HUD toward achieving
the national goal of eliminating childhood lead poisoning as a public health
problem by 2010.
Upon taking his new post, Gant also mentioned that he will
seek to move OHHLHC in some new directions, including seeking more complete
compliance with HUD’s lead rule.
EPA to Restrict Some
Uses of Pest Strip Insecticide
The EPA, in response to a request from pesticide product
manufacturer AMVAC, is poised to restrict some uses of a common “pest
strip” insecticide known as DDVP, or diclorvos. DDVP is an organophosphate
insecticide, a class of highly toxic pesticides. Low-level exposure to DDVP
can cause headaches, nausea, and vomiting; large doses of the poison can be
fatal. Laboratory studies have also shown that DDVP can cause cancer; California
classifies it as a “known carcinogen,” and the World Health Organization
and the EPA name it a “possible human carcinogen.”
The largest of the pest strips, often used in homes, will
be completely removed from the market. The second-largest size will be limited
to use in garages, attics, crawl spaces, and sheds where people spend fewer
than four hours each day. The smallest size pest strip will be restricted for
use in closets, wardrobes, and cupboards. Pest strips impacted include AlcoR
No-Pest Strip, AMVAC Insect Strip, AlcoR Pest Strip, AMVAC No-Pest Strip, and
Swat Pest Strip.
Environmental health advocates asserted that EPA and AMVAC
are not going far enough; the advocates say that all home uses of DDVP should
be cancelled because the pesticide is one of the most potent toxins currently
on the market.
"All of these uses inside the home are dangerous things.
That's what is of most concern," said Aaron Colangelo of the Natural Resources
Defense Council. He noted that DDVP is already banned in Great Britain, Denmark,
and Sweden.
Alliance,
Environmental Health Watch, and Cleveland Tenants Organization Release Healthy
Homes Curriculum for Older Americans
Certain populations, including children, pregnant women,
and the elderly, are often more vulnerable to environmental health threats,
especially those found within the home. Older Americans especially spend a large
percentage of their time in their homes, and issues such as indoor air quality
are of critical importance to the health of our nation's older population.
Until now, older Americans have not been provided the skills
and information they need to ensure that their homes are as healthy as possible.
Recognizing this information gap, Environmental Health Watch, Cleveland Tenants
Organization, and the Alliance for Healthy Homes undertook a project in 2005
to provide information and peer-to-peer training to improve seniors' indoor
environments. The result of the project is a curriculum intended to help healthy
homes advocates, practitioners, and others educate older Americans about indoor
environmental health, especially as it affects respiratory health. The curriculum
is designed for ease of use and to allow older Americans to in turn educate
their peers about indoor environmental health issues such as mold and moisture,
pests and pesticides, and maintaining lead-safe homes for those seniors with
young grandchildren.
The curriculum includes a PowerPoint presentation, an easy-to-read
fact sheet on cockroach control, pre- and post-training surveys to assess the
effectiveness of the curriculum, prompt cards for older Americans to use in
their homes and with their peers, and an evaluation form. All curriculum materials
are available for free download at www.afhh.org/res/res_hh_curric_4_older_Americans.htm.
More detailed information on the development of the healthy homes prompt cards
is available at www.ehw.org/Healthy_House/HH_Prompts.htm.
Funding for this project was provided by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's Aging Initiative and the Cleveland Foundation.
EPA Seeking
Comments on Sierra Club Petition for Action Against Lead in Toy Jewelry
In May, the Sierra Club submitted a petition to the EPA,
urging the Agency to take action against lead content in toy jewelry. On May
31, EPA formally requested public comments on the issues raised by the petition.
Recently, numerous recalls have been issued for children’s jewelry found
to contain significant levels of lead, and earlier this year, a four-year-old
child died after swallowing a jewelry charm that was over 90 percent lead.
Specifically, the Sierra Club asked EPA to take four actions
under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The group requested that EPA:
(1) Require TSCA health and safety data reporting; (2) submit a report to the
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) under TSCA section 9; (3) issue a
significant new use rule pursuant to TSCA section 5; and (4) issue quality control
orders under TSCA section 6(b).
The Agency must either grant or deny the petition requests
(1) and (4) within 90 days. The Agency will therefore respond to these requests
for action by July 20, 2006. EPA says they will also carefully consider the
requests for action (2) and (3), which are not subject to TSCA petitioning requirements,
and will respond to them at a later time.
EPA has opened a public comment period on all four requests,
which is open until Thursday, June 15. To comment, visit www.regulations.gov
and look for Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2006-0397.
Illinois
Legislature Passes Ban on Lead in Products Geared Toward Children
In May, the Illinois Legislature passed a ban on lead in
children’s products, and Governor Rod Blagojevich has pledged to sign
the legislation into law.
The bill, HB 4853, would ban from sale such items as candies,
jewelry, trinkets, clothing, and other goods specifically designed for and marketed
to children. The ban comes in response to numerous recalls by the U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission over the past few years, targeted at jewelry and other
products that contained moderate to high levels of lead. The bill also follows
the death of a four-year old child in Minnesota who swallowed a charm sold with
certain shoes. The charm was almost 100 percent lead.
Alliance
Trains New Orleans Area Groups in Safe and Effective Mold Cleanup, Plans More
Training Sessions
On April 21, the Alliance for Healthy Homes, with the assistance
of trainer Dennis Livingston and a number of local partners, held a successful
“train the trainers” workshop in New Orleans. The workshop funded
by Chase Bank and designed to build capacity for teaching workers how to safely
and effectively clean out moldy, flood-affected homes, attracted more than 30
participants and was enthusiastically received.
Because of the success of the April workshop, the Alliance
is planning to deliver additional healthy rebuilding trainings in the New Orleans
area in partnership with and funded by Chase Bank and Enterprise Community Partners.
The next set of trainings will include delivery of a second day-long train-the-trainer
course to 20-30 individuals in New Orleans and delivery of a three-day follow-up
training for people from high-capacity organizations and agencies that have
already completed the initial training on healthy rebuilding strategies and
methods. The Alliance also will produce an easy-to-use guidebook for safe and
effective mold cleanup for returning residents, volunteers, and other workers.
The train-the-trainer sessions are a part of the Alliance’s
ongoing work to help the people of New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast rebuild
their homes in the safest, healthiest way possible. The Alliance is also one
of three national sponsors of a June 12 meeting in New Orleans intended to launch
the New Orleans Health Disparities Initiative, which will tackle issues of healthy
and affordable housing, environmental justice, access to health care, and economic
discrimination.
Recent Australian
Study Reinforces Link Between Indoor Air Pollution and Childhood Asthma
A recent study conducted by Australian researchers found
that higher levels of certain indoor air pollutions are tied to increased and
more significant symptoms in children who have asthma.
The study, published in the May issue of the Journal
of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, found that nitrogen dioxide
and dust mites were culprits in increased numbers of asthma attacks in children.
The higher the levels of the nitrogen dioxide and dust mites, the worse asthmatic
children’s symptoms became.
Nitrogen dioxide can be formed in the home through incomplete
combustion in gas-fired appliances, especially in the kitchen. Keeping all gas-fired
appliances in good repair and vented directly to the outside can help reduce
nitrogen dioxide levels in the home and has the side benefits of reducing moisture
that can cause mold growth, and reducing carbon monoxide concentrations.
Dust mites are naturally occurring but thrive in moist,
warm homes. Properly maintaining heating and air conditioning equipment, venting
kitchens and bathrooms to the outside, and eliminating water leaks in roofs
and plumbing can reduce the number of dust mites in the home. Washing bedding
materials regularly can also reduce dust mite levels in children’s beds.
Lead Exposure
Increases Risk for and Symptoms of ADHD in Some Children
New research announced in early May points to low-level
lead exposure as a risk factor for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) in some children.
Scientists involved in the study said that some children
carry a specific genetic variation that places them at higher risk for ADHD
when exposed to lead. The scientists also found that the risk of ADHD in lead-exposed
children was higher for boys than it was for girls. The study’s findings
were presented May 1 at the Pediatric Academic Society’s annual meeting.
“Lead exposure leads to problems with attention and
executive function,” said Dr. Tanya Froelich, a developmental, behavioral,
and pediatric specialist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
“And certain kids are going to be more affected by the adverse affects
of lead.” She added, “The most important thing is to prevent lead
exposure in the first place.”
ADHD causes symptoms such as the inability to pay attention,
focus on tasks for sustained periods of time, impulsive behavior, and hyperactivity.
For more information about lead and how to prevent exposure
in children, visit www.afhh.org/lead.
National Center
for Healthy Housing Releases Report on Asthma and Moisture in Weatherization
Units in Maine
The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) in May released
a report documenting significant moisture problems in housing units in Maine
that were slated for weatherization grant work.
Data was collected for the study before any work occurred
so as to obtain the most accurate information on the state of housing units
in need of weatherization. NCHH found that at least one person reported having
asthma in 17 percent of the units. The data also indicate that housing units
slated for weatherization in Maine have substantial moisture problems, a known
asthma trigger.
Moisture problems were reported in 23 percent of single-family
homes and 27 percent of mobile units. Moisture problems were most frequently
observed around dirt floors and in bathrooms, kitchen, and around dryers with
poor ventilation. Mold and mildew were most frequently observed in crawl spaces,
bathrooms, basements, and along windows. These data strongly suggest that below-grade
spaces and sources of high humidity such as improperly vented bathrooms, kitchens,
and dryers are likely contributing to the bulk of moisture and mold problems
in this group of housing units.
Enterprise
and NRDC Publish Updated Green Communities Criteria and Technical Manual
In May, Enterprise and the Natural Resources Defense Council
published its updated Green Communities criteria and technical manual for those
seeking to becoming involved in Green Communities. Green Communities is designed
to help developers, investors, and builders make the transition to a greener
future for affordable housing throughout the United States and was created in
consultation with some of the nation’s leading green building experts.
CDC Lead
Testing Surveillance Data Available on the Web
The CDC’s lead testing surveillance data from 1997
through 2004 is available online. The data show the number of children tested
and the number with elevated blood lead levels, presented state-by-state and
for the District of Colunbia and five large cities. Selected county level data
is also available for some states. The information pertains only to children
less than six years of age.
Greenguard
Environmental Institute Announces Indoor Environments Fellowship Opportunity
The Greenguard Environmental Institute (GEI) announced
in May their 2006 Ken Dillon Memorial Fellowship for Indoor Environmental Quality
Design. GEI annually awards a $3,500 fellowship to a graduate or undergraduate
student selected based on the applicant’s proposed study of indoor environments
with a focus on indoor air quality and its effect on health and/or productivity.
This award is named in honor of the late Dr. Henry Kenneth
Dillon, a founding member of the GEI Advisory Board and Associate Professor
of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
(UAB). In his 20 years of work at UAB, Dillon was not only a respected teacher
and mentor, but also a leading researcher in the field of indoor air quality.
Additionally, Dr. Dillon was instrumental in HUD’s Healthy Homes Program
in Alabama. Dillon studied the effects of indoor pollutants on homeowners and
trained residents to monitor their homes for health hazards, including lead,
mold, and chemical asthma triggers.
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
is hosting a state lead meeting on June 12. Titled “Childhood Lead Poisoning:
Lead Exposure: Questions Answered,” the meeting will feature keynote speaker
Mary Jean Brown, Chief of CDC’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch. For
more information, contact Nisha Jani at janini@umdnj.edu
or 973-972-7398.
The Ohio Department of Health is sponsoring its 13th Ohio
Lead Poisoning Prevention Conference June 20-22 in Columbus. The featured speakers
and exhibitors will be from local, state, and national levels. The conference
goal is to educate healthcare and environmental professionals, parents, and
community leaders about the current medical, environmental, and programmatic
issues of childhood lead poisoning prevention in Ohio. Continuing education
units may be offered for nurses, sanitarians, and social workers. For more information,
E-mail bcfhs@odh.ohio.gov
or call Barbara Kochli Nixon at 937-285-6261.
Upcoming
Trainings
The Healthy Homes Training Center is offering its
Essentials for Healthy Homes Practitioners course in various locations across
the country in June and July. The course will be available June 23 and 24 in
San Antonio; July 10 and 11 in Baltimore; July 11 and 12 in New Britain, CT;
and July 19 and 20 in Chicago. For more information about these courses, visit
www.healthyhomestraining.org/upcoming.htm.
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