House and Senate Members
Call to Boost Healthy Homes Funding
31 Senators and more than 70 House Members have called
on their colleagues to increase funding for HUD’s Healthy Homes grants
to $20 million for FY 2005. These grants have been funded at a level $10 million
since FY 1999, yet HUD receives six to eight times the number of proposals than
the agency is able to fund.
Healthy Homes grants are awarded competitively to government
agencies, universities, and non-profit organizations across the country to develop,
evaluate, and disseminate cost-effective tools and practices for preventing
and controlling health hazards in housing. Integrating healthy homes principles
and practices at low cost into existing maintenance, rehab, operation, design,
and construction can avoid costly moisture and mold problems, reduce the risk
of asthma and childhood lead poisoning, and address other housing-related health
hazards.
House and Senate members also called for restoration of
$35 million in cuts to the Lead Hazard Reduction Program proposed in the President’s
budget. Restoration of these funds would continue the $50 million initiative
that targets cities with the most extensive lead hazards.
These funding increases have also been endorsed by national
and community-based organizations. To date, 22 national organizations and 58
local groups have signed on as supporters; 29 individuals have also pledged
their support. To join the growing list and to make your voice heard, please
contact Ralph Scott at rscott@afhh.org.
For more information, please visit www.afhh.org/aa/aa_hh_policy_federal_funding_hhi_campaign.htm.
HUD Threatens to
Fire Dave Jacobs
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson
has formally notified Dave Jacobs of his intent to fire him as director of the
Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control (OHHLHC). Jacobs, who has headed
this office for almost nine years, is widely respected for his command of technical
and policy issues related to lead poisoning prevention and healthy homes and
credited with leading progress within HUD and nationally.
Jacobs, a career member of the federal Senior Executive
Service, has obtained an attorney and plans to fight the proposed dismissal.
In recent months, several experienced, knowledgeable, and respected staff have
transferred from HUD’s OHHLHC or taken early retirement. The proposed
removal of Jacobs as director has raised concerns that the OHHLHC’s knowledge
base, technical capabilities, and ability to provide continued national leadership
are in jeopardy.
2005 Budget Resolution
Proves Elusive
As of May 7, Congress had yet to pass a budget resolution
for FY 2005. The main obstacle to compromise on the resolution is different
House and Senate versions of the “pay-as-you-go” rule. The House
version imposes this rule only on entitlement spending increases, mandating
that any new spending on programs like Medicaid and Social Security be “paid
for” through spending cuts in other entitlement programs. The Senate version
imposes the “pay-go” rule on both entitlement spending and any new
tax cuts.
Budget watchers believe that if no compromise is reached
on a budget resolution by May 15, Congress will not pass one. In fact, Congress
and the country may be better of without a budget resolution this year, according
to some analysts. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that spending
caps under last year’s budget resolution would be preferable to those
included in either the House or the Senate version for FY 2005. Both of this
year’s versions call for massive spending cuts for a wide variety of domestic
programs, including those focused on health, the environment, and public safety.
Entitlement programs are also at risk under both resolution versions, with already-strained
Medicaid appropriations suffering billions of dollars in cuts. For more information,
visit www.cbpp.org/4-27-04bud.htm.
New HUD Policy
Denies Section 8 Vouchers to Thousands of Families
Local Section 8 voucher administrators were notified on
April 22 that HUD will fund the Section 8 housing assistance program at August
2003 levels and will not release already-approved inflation adjustment funds.
This move will cause a funding shortfall for hundreds of public housing authorities
(PHAs) throughout the country, negatively impacting thousands of low-income
families.
In its FY 2004 budget, Congress included full funding for
all existing Section 8 vouchers, ensuring that no family would lose its housing
assistance. At the same time, it included an additional $1 billion in the Section
8 program as further protection for all families currently holding housing vouchers.
HUD’s actions appear to go against the clear intent of Congress. For more
information, visit the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s website
at www.nlihc.org. An in-depth analysis of HUD’s decision is available
at www.cbpp.org/4-26-04hous.htm.
Lead-Safe Work Practices
Training Course Now Available in Spanish
The latest EPA-HUD training course curriculum, “Lead
Safety for Remodeling, Repair and Painting,” is now available in Spanish.
Referred to by some as “The RRP Course,” this curriculum is based
on previous model courses in lead-safe work practices (LSWP) and includes hands-on
exercises. The audience for this course includes renovators, remodelers, painters,
and maintenance personnel. Completion of this course satisfies training requirements
for performing non-abatement work that is governed by HUD's lead-safe housing
rule as well as some states' and localities' laws and regulations.
The Alliance encourages health departments and community-based
organizations to pursue offering this course build capacity in LSWP in low-income
communities. The availability of this course in Spanish now gives many non-English
speaking workers access to important information on the dangers of lead dust
and lead-safe work practices that will protect themselves, their families, and
the occupants of homes where they work from lead exposure.
For information about MasiMax-coordinated delivery of free
lead safety training using this course, and for an online registration form,
see http://leadsafetraining.org.
Health departments, community-based organizations, and others can invite MasiMax
to schedule a training in their community by contacting John Combs at 571-203-7766
ext. 102 or by emailing jcombs@masimax.com.
EPA’s
Final Lead Safety Notice and Training Rule Adopted
On April 8, EPA published its final rule regarding notice
of and training in lead safety disciplines for states without an EPA-authorized
lead safety program. A map showing these states in white is located at www.epa.gov/lead/authstatus.pdf.
The rule establishes procedures to notify EPA prior to
the commencement of lead-based paint abatement activities or lead safety training
courses. The full text of the new rule is available at www.epa.gov/lead/notification%20final.pdf.
Michigan Passes
Lead Screening Legislation
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm signed two new lead
poisoning prevention laws in April, saying that the measures will help identify
children who have been exposed to dangerous levels of lead and better protect
lead-poisoned children from lifelong health complications.
The laws will require the state’s Department of Community
Health to ensure than any provider, HMO, or healthcare facility that receives
Medicaid payments conducts screenings for elevated blood lead levels in children.
The laws will also require any laboratory that screens blood samples for lead
to report the results electronically to the Department.
Three other lead poisoning bills are still pending in the
Michigan Legislature. These bills would establish a lead-safe housing registry
and create a statewide childhood lead poisoning prevention commission. For more
information on Michigan’s screening and lead poisoning prevention legislation,
contact Paul Haan at Get the Lead Out! at 616-247-9556 or GTLO@sbcglobal.net.
Two Lawsuits
Filed Against New NYC Lead Law
Two separate lawsuits were filed in State Supreme Court
in New York challenging New York City’s new lead-based paint law, passed
when the City Council overrode a mayoral veto in February. One lawsuit was filed
by groups representing landlords, while a non-profit developer and provider
of low-income housing filed the second suit.
The April lawsuits state that the Council “acted
rashly and illegally” in passing the lead law. The suits claim that the
Council did not conduct required environmental reviews and mistakenly assumed
that all buildings constructed before 1960 contain lead paint.
Supporters of the law say the amount of environmental review
conducted was “massive” compared the city’s last lead law,
which was overturned by the New York State Court of Appeals in July 2003. They
assert that the two lawsuits are about money, not a lack of environmental review.
CDC Warns of
Heart Attack Risk from Secondhand Smoke
In late April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) issued an advisory strongly urging those at risk of a heart attack to
avoid all areas where people smoke cigarettes. The CDC now believes that even
a modest 30 minutes per day of exposure to secondhand smoke can dramatically
increase the likelihood of a serious or lethal heart attack in those at risk.
The CDC estimates that at least 35,000 people die each
year from heart disease caused by breathing secondhand smoke. For those living
with a smoker, secondhand smoke poses a risk for heart attack as well as asthma.
Canadian
Study Prompts Doctors to Issue Warning on Pesticides
Doctors in Ontario, Canada, are so alarmed about the results
of a recent study on pesticides that they are urging their patients to avoid
the chemicals whenever possible. The study, conducted by the Ontario College
of Family Physicians, is the most extensive review of the chronic effects of
pesticide exposure ever conducted in Canada. It focused on exposures at work,
in the garden, and in the home.
The study found that parents who work in settings where
pesticides are routinely used can track the chemicals into the home and expose
their children. Pesticides from the lawn and garden can also be tracked into
the home, and they can drift into the home through open windows. Pesticides
in the home environment are usually far more concentrated than those outdoors,
and they break down much more slowly indoors.
Doctors in Canada warn that everyday items such as ant
or wasp spray are not safe to use. Children are especially at risk because their
bodies are growing and developing, pound-for-pound eating more food and breathing
more air than adults.
NY State Court of
Appeals Throws Out Suit Against Municipality
In late March, the New York State Court of Appeals ruled
that municipalities could not be held liable for injuries and illness suffered
by a lead poisoned child when city or county health departments do not respond
to the full extent of their authority or ability.
The court held that the lead poisoned children in the case
did not have a “special relationship” with the health department
in question, and because of this, Putnam County could not be held liable for
the illnesses that lead poisoned children suffered.
In the main case, Pelaez v. Seide, two children were identified
as having elevated blood lead levels. Under the county health department’s
orders, the children’s landlord undertook lead abatement. However, the
landlord hired untrained workers who lacked necessary lead-safe work practices
skills. The county health department, aware that the landlord was using untrained
workers, did nothing to stop the process. The result was that one child’s
blood lead level rose to 70 µg/dl, and the other child’s to 50 µg/dl.
Both children were hospitalized and will suffer lifelong health and cognitive
problems.
The court, while finding that the county was not financially
liable to the poisoned children, said, “In retrospect, the municipal employees
in both cases may have carried out their duties imperfectly, and it surely would
have been far better—and the harm perhaps avoided—had the Putnam
authorities been more aggressive and the New York officials more thorough.”
In other words, the court faulted the health department
for its poor oversight yet still denied the children damages. Throughout upstate
New York (and in some other states), health departments are still ordering landlords
to repair peeling paint without requiring use of a certified abatement contractor
or lead-safe work practices, and without requiring the use of clearance testing.
This court decision provides health officials the chance to change policy and
practice to correct these gross shortcomings without incriminating their past
failures.
New
York State Failing to Check Completion of Lead Hazard Control Work
A University of Rochester study, authored by Katrina Smith
Korfmacher and others, has found that New York State is failing to ensure the
success of lead hazard control work in homes where EBL children live. The study
found that homes where lead hazard control work was performed without clearance
testing had similar lead dust levels as homes where visible lead hazards still
existed. Released in April, the study compared a group of homes treated for
lead hazards with a group of homes where lead hazard control work was not performed.
Regulations in New York State mandate that county health
departments perform an environmental investigation when a child has been lead
poisoned. However, the state does not require health departments to do clearance
testing after lead hazard control work has occurred. The state insists that
inspectors routinely sample dust for lead; the university’s study shows
that not to be the case. For more information about the study, contact Dr. Jay
Stein, Senior Vice President & Vice Provost Emeritus for Health Affairs,
University of Rochester, at 585-275-5931.
EPA Releases
Interpretive Guidance on Lead Test Kits
The EPA released Interpretive Guidance in April regarding
the use of lead test kits by individuals who are not certified lead inspectors.
The memo states that EPA’s regulations pertaining to inspections apply
only to individuals who represent themselves as lead inspectors. All other individuals,
including lead hazard technicians, may use lead test kits on painted and other
surfaces in full compliance with federal law, as long as they do not claim to
be lead inspectors and it is clear that they are not conducting an official
lead hazard inspection. For the full text of the Interpretive Guidance memo,
see www.epa.gov/lead/qa15.pdf.
Housing Data Brochure
Available from U.S. Census
The U.S. Census Bureau has made available an informational
brochure about the American Housing Survey (AHS). The brochure, “American
Housing Data Between Censuses: The American Housing Survey,” provides
an introduction to the AHS and provides quick links to other data sources.
The AHS is a survey of housing units that looks at how
specific units change over time. The changes include the condition and safety
of the housing units. The brochure details how the AHS breaks down into national
and metro area-level surveys and includes a list of survey dates for the metro
areas studied, as well as information on how to obtain data and reports. A copy
of the brochure is available free of charge at www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/ahsr04-1.pdf.
Database Summarizes
Links Between Environmental Exposures and Human Disease
Three physicians with the Collaborative on Health and the
Environment have compiled a spreadsheet that lists and details the links between
environmental exposures and over 200 different health conditions. The spreadsheet
includes lead poisoning, asthma, and allergies among the diseases it profiles,
and it includes indoor exposures to lead, mold, pesticides, and secondhand smoke.
The spreadsheet is available at www.protectingourhealth.org/corethemes/links/2004-0203spreadsheet.htm.
EPA National
Air Toxics Community-Based Program Soliciting Grant Applications
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards is currently soliciting grant applications
for National Air Toxics Community-Based Program projects. EPA announced that
up to $600,000 will be available for six to ten projects that will characterize
or reduce air toxics problems in local communities and that will track toxics
reduction activities. Applications are due May 17, 2004.
Eligible projects include efforts to reduce indoor
air contaminants. EPA will accept grant applications from state, local, multi-state,
and tribal governments, as well as from universities and non-profit organizations
(not including hospitals). The full Request for Applications can be found at
www.epa.gov/air/pdfs/04-07.pdf,
and the complete grants application package can be downloaded at www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/how_to_apply.htm.
Upcoming Conferences
Boston University will host the Science of
Environmental Justice Conference from May 24-26, 2004. The conference, sponsored
by the EPA and the Boston University School of Public Health, will bring together
diverse stakeholders to learn about innovative tools and models that have been
developed to meet the scientific needs of urban, suburban, and rural communities.
Key topics will include children’s environmental health, community-based
participatory research, asthma, air toxics, and land-based environmental health
risks. The registration deadline is Friday, May 7. More information can be found
at www.namsinc.org/ejworkshop/.
The EPA’s Community Involvement Conference and Training
will be held from June 15-18, 2004 in Denver. The conference is especially designed
for federal, state, local, and tribal leaders who work to implement environmental
education and community involvement in local communities. Academic, private
sector, and community-based organization partners will also benefit from the
conference and training. 40 concurrent workshop and panel sections will include
information on reducing children’s exposure to second-hand smoke, community
toxics programs, organizing a pubic education campaign, and collaborating with
state and local agencies. Registration closes on June 1. Visit www.epancic.org/2004/overview.cfm
for more information, or call 301-589-5318.
The Lead and Healthy Homes Grantees
Conference will be held in Orlando from June 20-23, 2004. The conference will
bring together grantees from HUD, EPA, CDC, as well as parents, community leaders,
advocates, and researchers. A variety of issues will be highlighted, including
the latest in training, research, legislative and regulatory issues, enforcement
strategies, and primary prevention opportunities for lead safety and healthy
homes. Registration for this conference is still open—contact mcady@ggadv.com
for information. Some funds are available for travel scholarships to parents,
volunteers, and staff of nonprofit, community-based, and faith-based organizations.
To inquire about a travel scholarship, contact paul_diegelman@hud.gov.
General information about the conference program and schedule is available at
http://orlandomeetinginfo.com/hud/31055552.pdf.
The Annual Indoor Environmental Health and Technologies Conference will occur
in Orlando from June 23-25, 2004. The conference will include a variety of programs
on children’s health, mold assessment and remediation, healthy homes,
lead hazard control, and health education and outreach. Information can be obtained
at www.leadmoldconferences.com/04pdfs/2004IEHTnationalconf.pdf
or by calling 1-800-590-6522.
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