On October 2, HUD announced its selections for $147 million
in funding for Operation LEAP, Healthy Homes, Outreach, and Lead Hazard Control
grants. For details, see HUD’s press release at www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr03-094.cfm.
Cities Spotlight
Problem Landlords
Several cities across the country have publicized information
about “problem” property owners as part of their efforts to improve
substandard housing conditions. Exposing repeat housing code violators works
to hold these owners accountable; prioritize and fund local enforcement efforts;
facilitate prosecution of existing offenders; deter future offenders; and build
public pressure on violators to comply.
On September 3, 2003, Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson
released a list of “Top 10 Problem Landlords.” The ten selected
owners are responsible for over 300 properties with some 950 code violations
and $160,000 owed to the city in fines. The list is aimed not only at the short-term
efforts of holding the identified “Top 10” accountable and making
those properties safer, but also at longer-term issues of housing rehabilitation
and neighborhood revitalization. See www.indygov.org/mayor/press/2003/september/03-09-03a.htm
for more information on Indianapolis’ efforts.
Since July, Kansas City, Missouri has utilized the city
government cable television channel, KCCG-TV2, to broadcast a new program titled
“Housing Court’s Most Wanted.” The program highlights property
and nuisance code violators with outstanding warrants and includes information
such as the violators’ last known addresses and the addresses of the properties
cited for violation(s). Viewers of the show are further informed regarding methods
of contacting officials to share information that could trigger to the prosecution
of the violators. The show, which features new content each month, utilizes
City Council members as guest hosts and airs a total of nine times each week.
Visit, www.kcmo.org/cco.nsf/web/hcmw1,
for more information.
National Lead Poisoning
Prevention Week
Again this year, the last full week of October (October
19-25, 2003) will be observed as National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention
Week. Senator Jack Reed (RI-D) is again taking the initiative in securing co-sponsors
for and introducing a Senate Resolution to make this designation formal. The
Senate Resolution will also make this designation for next year (October 24-30,
2004). Examples of past National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week events from
across the country, as well as sample outreach and education materials, can
be found on the Alliance’s website at www.afhh.org/res/res_by_topic_lead_outreach_education.htm.
October
Celebrates Healthy Homes & Children’s Health
Again this year, HUD is celebrating October as Healthy
Homes Month, which creates an opportunity for state and local agencies and advocates
to focus the attention of the public, policy makers, and the media on the significance
of health hazards in housing and strategies for their prevention and control.
The Alliance’s website (www.afhh.org)
contains resources and policy information about healthy homes.
October is also Children’s Health Month. The President’s
Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children is directing
the federal, multi-agency effort to commemorate Children’s Health Month.
As part of this effort, EPA has created a calendar which addresses environmental
safety, injury prevention, and other health issues and provides daily tips,
such as how to remove environmental triggers of asthma and prevent lead exposure.
For additional information on Children’s Health Month, including EPA’s
“2003 Calendar of Tips to Protect Children,” visit www.childrenshealth.gov.
Texas Regulations
to Govern Mold Contractor Certification
At the direction of a Texas law passed earlier this year,
the Texas Department of Health is drafting regulations governing the certification
of mold assessment and remediation contractors. With input from its review panel,
the Texas Health Department is continuing to revise its proposal rule, which
is expected to be published for public comment in November.
The Alliance is concerned that the approach being taken
by the Texas Health Department may put moisture and mold prevention, assessment,
and control out of reach for low-income households. The Alliance has urged an
alternative approach in our comments on Texas’ advance draft (see www.afhh.org/aa/aa_hh_policy_state_local.htm#Pending).
Because Texas is one of the first states to develop mold regulations, the Texas
rule poses a risk (and offers the opportunity) for setting a precedent for other
states. The Alliance hopes that state and local advocates, experts, and practitioners
in public health, and affordable housing will submit comments when the proposed
rule is published.
Detroit Makes Plans
to Wipe Out Lead Poisoning
Lead poisoning advocates and experts convened September
23-24 in Detroit to develop a citywide comprehensive action plan to end lead
poisoning by 2010. Detroit comprises two thirds of childhood lead poisoning
cases in Michigan and has one of the highest prevalence rates in the country.
The Detroit Free Press ran several articles during recent months highlighting
the severity of the problem and poor government oversight, including problems
with data collection, screening, and mismanagement of federal funding. Work
on the plan was triggered by a $700,000 grant the city received from CDC and
must be submitted to the agency by June 2004. The National Center for Healthy
Housing (NCHH), which helped develop a similar plan in Rhode Island, is working
with Detroit in developing its plan.
Work on this action plan complements recent efforts by
Michigan Governor Granholm who issued a “Call to Action” in August
to tackle lead poisoning statewide. The report outlines a number of proposals
to address childhood lead poisoning, including increased screening of high-risk
children and penalties for negligent property owners who fail to remedy hazards.
A full copy of the Call to Action can be downloaded at www.michigan.gov/documents/ChildLeadPoisoning2_71150_7.pdf.
Jefferson County,
AL Makes Hazardous Property Data Publicly Available
Efforts of the Citizens’ Lead Education and Poisoning
Prevention (CLEPP) program, based in Birmingham, have prompted the Jefferson
County Health Department to provide information to existing and prospective
tenants pertaining to previous lead tests on a property. This move will make
hazard information available to consumers and encourage landlords to follow
the federal lead disclosure law.
Alabama advocates have long observed that a lack of landlord
disclosure and inconsistent enforcement of the disclosure law has increased
the risk of lead exposure for many Birmingham children. Allowing public access
to historical county health department testing information will facilitate landlord
compliance with disclosure requirements and allow tenants to make better-informed
housing decisions. Previous attempts by CLEPP to have property lead testing
records released were denied by the Jefferson County Health Department due to
stated medical privacy issues. The information the Health Department will publicly
release relates solely to lead-based paint hazards in the property. For additional
information, please contact Lynn Battle, Director of the Citizens’ Lead
Education and Poisoning Prevention Program at clepp@bellsouth.net.
Housing Study
Finds Maryland Immigrants at High Risk
A study conducted by CASA de Maryland, a community organization
serving Hispanic immigrants, and researchers at the University of Maryland uncovered
a host of environmental hazards in rental housing occupied largely by immigrants.
The authors surveyed 268 residents in Long Branch, which falls in both Montgomery
and Prince Georges counties in Maryland with a very high concentration of Latino
and African immigrants. About 40% of residents cited peeling or flaking paint
in their homes. Large percentages also reported mold problems and rodent infestation.
Many residents were not notified, as required by the lead disclosure rule, of
potential lead hazards in their homes. Long Branch renters pay more than 30%
of their incomes on housing, and more than a quarter pay 50% or more of their
income on housing.
In July, CASA de Maryland presented these findings to the
Montgomery County Council, who commissioned the study. Montgomery County plans
to subsidize the cost of lead-paint testing in pre-1950 units and to assess
whether property owners have complied with state law requiring that they register
with the Department of the Environment and remediate lead hazards in rental
properties. CASA will make the study available soon on their website at www.casademaryland.org.
Affordable
Housing Crisis for Working Americans
On September 8, the National Low Income Housing Coalition
(NLIHC) released its annual report – Out of Reach 2003: America’s
Housing Wage Climbs. The report examines housing affordability across the
U.S. and compares the wage earnings of low-income Americans with housing costs.
According to the report, many Americans earn far less than needed to afford
the Median Fair Market Rent for homes in their communities. The federal minimum
wage has been $5.15 per hour since 1997, while rents have increased significantly
across the country. On average, a worker would need to earn approximately $15.21
per hour in order to afford a two-bedroom unit. A single minimum wage worker
would need to work over 100 hours per week to afford Fair Market Rent. In most
states, the minimum wage is less than half the income needed to afford a two-bedroom
unit and the gap is even greater in areas with higher living costs. The report
is available online at www.nlihc.org/oor2003/
or by contacting NLIHC at 1012 14th Street, N.W., Suite 610, Washington, DC
20005, 202-662-1530.
U.S. Poverty
Rate Rises
The Census Bureau’s recent annual report on income
and poverty in the U.S. found that the nation's official poverty rate rose from
11.7% in 2001 to 12.1% in 2002. Median household income declined 1.1% in real
terms from 2001 to $42,409 in 2002. Median earnings increased 1.8% for women
who worked full-time, year-round and 1.4% for similar men. The child poverty
rate was unchanged. The report is available at www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty02.html.
Newly Released:
“The Asthma in Schools Survey”
The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) and the
American Lung Association (ALA) have released the results of a national survey
on asthma. NASN members surveyed reported that asthma causes significant difficulties
in their schools with over 80% noting an effect on school absenteeism and over
50% reporting that asthma is more disruptive to school routines than any other
chronic health condition. (Current ALA statistics estimate that 14 million elementary
school days are lost annually to asthma.) The survey also recognizes the increasing
rate of asthma among minority or underserved populations. Approximately one-third
of responding school nurses asserted that a majority of their students with
asthma represent minority or underserved populations and less than 30% of respondents
feel that the resources currently in place to address asthma concerns among
these students is sufficient. Many of the nurses surveyed (85%) also believe
there are students with undiagnosed asthma in their schools.
The survey further suggests that there is a need for an
increased awareness of asthma, asthma triggers, and asthma management among
school staff, parents, and the children themselves, as over half of the survey
respondents in each of these three constituent categories identified asthma
awareness as fair or poor. The ALA press release and a link to the full survey
can be found at www.lungusa.org/press/asthma/asthma_091003.html.
Powerful New Tools
A new interactive mapping tool is available at www.urbanpoverty.net
that allows visitors to view the concentration of poverty in US metropolitan
areas by simply selecting a state or locality on a U.S. map. The data is based
on the U.S. Census for the years 1970 through 2000. Instructions for using the
mapping tool are available on the site. The tool was created by the Bruton Center
at the University of Texas at Dallas and is funded by the Brookings Institution,
with additional support from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Calculator: What Does Lead Poisoning Cost Your City
or State is an easy-to-use tool developed by Katrina Smith Korfmacher at
the University of Rochester’s Environmental Health Sciences Center. This
tool provides an easy way to estimate for any city or state the costs of lead
poisoning by calculating the medical, special education, and juvenile justice
costs, as well as losses in future earnings. Estimates used in this calculator
were documented in the report "Long-term costs of lead poisoning: How much
can New York save by stopping lead?” The calculator and report are both
available on the Alliance’s website at www.afhh.org/aa/aa_statelocal_strategiestoolkits.htm#calculator.
Endorse
the “Be Safe” Prevention Campaign
The Center for Health, Environment, and Justice and the
Environmental Health Alliance are launching a campaign to build political demand
for preventive health policies in America. The Be Safe Campaign is seeking to
prevent public exposure to environmental toxins and hold government and industries
accountable for protecting human health and the environment. The Campaign will
focus on a broad range of issues including air pollution, children’s environmental
health, clean production, green schools, landfills, mining, nuclear power, occupational
safety and health, pesticides, sludge, toxic dumps, water pollution, wilderness
protection, and many others. A platform endorsing preventive health policies
will be presented to the President in January 2005. The Campaign will launch
in mid-October with national and statewide media events to gather broad public
support. Information on the Campaign, including brochures and other resources,
is available at www.besafenet.com.
To endorse the Campaign today, email annerabe@msn.com.
Report
Documents Local Costs from Toxics Exposures
Tufts University’s Global Development and Environment
Institute released a report on September 15 estimating the cost of children’s
exposure to environmental health hazards in Massachusetts. The authors used
the “environmentally attributable fraction” of disease to determine
the costs associated with childhood illnesses including asthma, cancer, lead
poisoning, neurobehavioral disorders, and birth defects. “Costs of Preventable
Childhood Illness: The Price We Pay for Pollution” found that the cost
of medical treatment, special education, school absence, and loss of earnings
for parents or other caregivers exceeds $1 billion each year for Massachusetts.
MA legislators have introduced “An Act for a Healthy Massachusetts: Safer
Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals” (H-2275/S-1168) in response. The full
report is available at www.ase.tufts.edu/gdae/publications/articles_reports/Childhood_Illness.pdf.
Study Investigates
the Effectiveness of Education in Preventing Lead Poisoning
New research from University of Minnesota researchers Catherine
M. Jordan, Becky L. Yust, Leslie L. Robinson, et al., concludes that although
intensive peer education can result in a lower percentage of children with elevated
blood lead levels, “education alone cannot be relied upon to prevent lead
burden.” The study enlisted over 550 mothers of children age 0-36 months.
All participants were given basic information on lead poisoning prevention activities
and children’s blood lead levels were assessed every 4 months for approximately
3 years. The intervention group received additional intensive education sessions
on the multiple sources of lead exposure, potential health consequences, and
available home intervention strategies to reduce lead hazards with same-ethnicity
peer educators during this 3-year period. The educational sessions were offered
in 20 biweekly sessions during the first year and in quarterly booster sessions
for the following 2 years. In the group receiving the education intervention,
81% of children maintained blood lead levels below 10 µg/dL, compared
to 73% of children from the group not receiving the intervention. “A
Randomized Trial of Education to Prevent Lead Burden in High Risk Children:
Efficacy as Measured by Blood Lead Monitoring” was published by Environmental
Health Perspectives in September 2003. The abstract can be found at http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2003/6352/abstract.pdf.
Upcoming Conferences
The Northeast Regional Conference on Mold, Lead, Healthy
Homes, and Children’s Environmental Health will be held from October 28-30,
2003 in Tarrytown, NY. The conference is intended for state and local government
officials, mold and lead industry practitioners, federal officials, children’s
environmental health advocates, facility managers, and real estate professionals.
Partial registration scholarships are available for community-based, non-profit,
and non-governmental organizations working on lead poisoning, low-income housing,
and children’s environmental health. From October 1 through October 15
registration fees are $360 and $330 for supporting organizations. Fees increase
thereafter. Visit www.leadmoldconferences.com
or call 800-590-6522 for additional conference information.
The Morehouse School of Medicine is hosting the third annual
“Primary Care and Prevention: Healthy Communities and Eliminating Health
Disparities in the South” conference in Atlanta, GA, October 30 through
November 1. Conference sessions will focus on clinical approaches to disease
management, health policy, mental health, and primary care. Speakers include
U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young and former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher. Discounted
registration fees are available for students and residents. Conference fees
range from $180 to $250 for other medical professionals before October 10. For
more information, visit the conference website at http://www.i3m.org/main/pcpc/pcpc_open.htm
or call 386-447-9006 or 404-505-1009. Online registration is also available.
Sign Up for CEHRC
Newsletter
The Community Environmental Health Resource Center (CEHRC)
will soon begin publishing a newsletter on community-based environmental sampling.
CEHRC is a project of the Alliance, developed in collaboration with local leaders,
that helps community-based organizations develop their capacity to document
environmental health hazards in high-risk housing and pursue effective organizing
and advocacy strategies for corrective and preventive action. This newsletter,
which will come out 3-4 times a year, will be provided in hard copy and posted
on the CEHRC website. If you’re interested in receiving this newsletter,
please email CEHRC@AFHH.org
your name and complete contact information.
Please Support our
Work
Your tax-deductible support is vital to the Alliance’s
efforts to protect children from environmental health hazards in their homes.
Contributions can be made by mail or online at https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?Action=GC&CID=508.
Federal employees can designate the Alliance (#1503) as a beneficiary through
the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Thanks for your support!
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