Cincinnati
City Council Unanimously Enacts Tougher Lead Poisoning Prevention Ordinance
On September 13, the Cincinnati City Council unanimously
passed a stronger lead poisoning prevention ordinance that will add several
primary prevention measures to the City’s existing law.
The ordinance was enacted following a series of investigative
reports on lead poisoning published in the Cincinnati Enquirer. Earlier this
year, the newspaper won a court battle with the Cincinnati Health Department
when the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the state’s open records law required
the Health Department to release lead hazard citations to the Enquirer. The
records showed that out of some 300 open cases where property owners were ignoring
lead hazard cleanup orders, the Health Department had only pursued two criminal
complaints.
The new ordinance will address this problem and others.
The new ordinance will, among other things:
Establish an interdepartmental lead task force
Create high-risk areas for lead poisoning where random
visual inspections and child blood lead screens will occur
Make peeling paint a safety violation in all pre-1978
housing
Prohibit uncontained power-washing
Require the city to work with Hamilton County to create
a full-time housing court
Require the city to work with pediatricians, hospitals,
and health clinics to increase awareness of lead poisoning and lead hazard
control
Establish a local lead hazard disclosure provision,
complete with authority to prosecute property owners who fail to disclose
the presence of lead hazards to prospective buyers and tenants
Lower the level of childhood lead poisoning at which
the Health Department acts from 14 µg/dL to 5 µg/dL.
The City of Toledo in late September filed suit against
several former lead pigment manufacturers, seeking “undetermined”
damages to recover the cost of lead-based paint abatement undertaken in past
years and to pay for future clean-up expenses. This lawsuit will use some of
the same strategies employed by the State of Rhode Island, which won a landmark
legal victory over the industry in February. The case is the latest addition
to a growing list of government-sponsored lawsuits against the industry, with
suits in New Jersey, Milwaukee, and California ongoing.
The city lists several reasons for deciding to file its
lawsuit. As many as nine out of ten homes within Toledo city limits may contain
lead-based paint, and the city bears significant costs of screening children
for lead poisoning, follow-up and case management for lead poisoned children,
a public awareness campaign to educate property owners and residents about the
dangers of lead-based paint, and more.
The city’s lawsuit names Sherwin-Williams, NL Industries,
and Millennium Holdings, LLC, as defendants. These and other former lead pigment
manufacturers face an additional lawsuit from East Cleveland, and Columbus and
Akron are considering suits of their own.
In an attempt to block additional litigation, Sherwin-Williams
has filed a preemptive action in federal court to forbid the City of Columbus
from suing the giant paint maker. The company lists First Amendment grounds
for the basis of its suit, saying that even the threat of litigation against
Sherwin-Williams violates its rights of free association and petitioning the
government. Columbus Assistant City Attorney Glenn Redick said in response,
“We’re not intimidated.”
Low Level Lead
and Prenatal Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposures Tied to ADHD
A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives
in September demonstrates a correlation between both low level lead among children
and prenatal environmental tobacco smoke exposure and the subsequent development
of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, more commonly known as ADHD. The
study, conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the
University of Cincinnati, and the University of Rochester, is the first large
study to examine a nationwide cohort of impacts of environmental toxicants on
childhood ADHD.
The research builds on previous studies, and indicates
that children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy were two-and-a-half times
as likely to have ADHD than children whose mothers did not smoke. Scientists
involved in the study say that the results for childhood lead exposure were
even more striking: children whose blood lead levels were above two micrograms
per deciliter were at least four times as likely to have ADHD than children
with 0.8 micrograms per deciliter or less. The current Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention action level for lead in children’s blood is 10 micrograms
per deciliter.
The authors said, “The findings of this study underscore
the profound behavioral health impact of these prevalent exposures, and highlight
the need to strengthen public health efforts to reduce prenatal tobacco smoke
exposure and childhood lead exposure.”
As many as 3.8 million American children have ADHD, and
the costs to the American economy for treating the disorder and for special
education are substantial. Extrapolating the results of this study, researchers
estimate that 270,000 ADHD cases in children ages 4 to 15 are attributable to
prenatal tobacco smoke exposure, and 290,000 cases can be linked to children
with blood lead levels above 2 micrograms per deciliter. The scientists warn
that these numbers may be an underestimate, as their study excluded children
without routine access to health care, potentially missing children with ADHD
who have gone undiagnosed.
Sen. Obama,
Others Send Follow-Up Letter to EPA on Remodeling and Renovation Rule
On July 24, Senators Barack Obama and Barbara Boxer, and
Representative Henry Waxman sent a letter to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson
that strongly questions EPA’s rumored decision to delay implementation
of the remodeling and renovation rule by an entire year to accommodate new studies
about lead paint dispersal from common renovation practices and techniques.
The letter asked EPA to identify any additional studies that the Agency plans
to conduct related to the rule, the duration of each study, how much each study
will cost, and when the Agency expects the final rule to be published. On August
1, EPA responded to the inquiry but did not provide specific information in
response to questions. As a result of their dissatisfaction with EPA’s
response, Obama, Boxer, and Waxman have sent a follow-up letter to EPA, requesting
direct answers to each of their specific questions.
On September 14, the Sierra Club formally filed suit against
EPA for the agency’s failure to take action to ban lead in toy jewelry.
Earlier in the year, the organization had petitioned EPA to take regulatory
action to protect children from the lead source, which can often be highly concentrated.
EPA refused to grant the petition’s requests.
The goal of the lawsuit is to force the EPA to find ways
to stop the production and sale of all toy necklaces, bracelets, and rings that
contain lead. The Sierra Club’s Jessica Frohman said, “[Lead] poses
a danger to children’s health. I don’t think parents realize that
these pieces of jewelry have the potential to be harmful.”
The issue of lead in toy jewelry has been discussed for
several years, but was brought to national attention in February when a four-year-old
Minneapolis boy swallowed a nearly pure lead charm included as a promotional
item with a pair of Reebok shoes. The boy died as a result.
National
City (CA) Enacts a Healthy Homes Ordinance
On July 20, National City, CA, enacted a new healthy homes
ordinance that further empowers the city’s Building and Safety Department
to conduct proactive housing inspections. Begun in 1996, the housing inspection
program covers single family, duplex, triplex, and four-plex properties, as
well as multiunit apartment complexes and motels.
The new law grants the city the authority to require that
apartment owners maintain their properties with the health and safety of occupants
in mind. The city states that the main goals of its housing inspection program
are to preserve affordable housing; to assure that residents have a safe and
healthy home in which to live; and to enhance neighborhoods by removing blight
caused by improperly maintained properties. The program also draws the connection
between housing violations and such health problems as exposure to mold and
mildew, exposure to cockroach allergen, lead poisoning, and carbon monoxide
poisoning.
To fund the program, the costs of which are currently $40,000
per year, the ordinance authorizes the city to charge rental property owners
an annual housing inspection fee of $68 per unit, a cost of less than $6 per
month.
Environmental
Council of the States Opposes Gutting of EPA Toxics Release Inventory
The Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) passed a
resolution on August 29 opposing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s
(EPA) proposal to gut the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program. EPA is contemplating
reducing reporting requirements under the TRI, which currently provides crucial
information to the public about the release of toxic substances throughout the
country, including data on airborne lead emissions.
ECOS, a national association of state and territorial environmental
agency leaders, joins a growing chorus of voices opposed to reducing information
reporting and releases under the TRI. EPA received over 122,000 comments from
the public on its proposal, almost all of which opposed weakening the TRI. Agencies
and officials from 23 states submitted formal opposition to the proposal, and
the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment to the FY 2007 Interior
and Environment bill to prevent EPA from tampering with the TRI. In addition,
EPA’s Science Advisory Board stated, “TRI changes would hinder the
advances of environmental research used to protect public health and the environment.”
Aggressive
Integrated Pest Management May Help Children with Asthma
Research from Boston published in the June edition of Social
Science and Medicine demonstrates that while urban asthma is a multifaceted
problem, aggressive integrated pest management (IPM) may help children who struggle
with the disease and its symptoms.
The study, conducted as part of the Boston-area Healthy
Public Housing Initiative, was a community-based participatory research intervention.
The intervention in each of 50 homes that were part of the study consisted of
IPM, related cleaning and educational efforts, and limited case management and
support from trained community health advocates. The study found that after
two weeks, aggressive IPM interventions significantly reduced incidence of adverse
respiratory symptoms, including the frequency of wheeze or cough, slowing down
or stopping play, and waking up at night with asthma symptoms.
The study’s authors hypothesize that the reduction
or elimination of cockroach populations through IPM led to the greatest reduction
of children’s asthma symptoms. The authors stated, “In a population
of asthmatic children with allergies to multiple indoor allergens, including
cockroaches, IPM and intensive cleaning appear to be beneficial for respiratory
health.” The effectiveness of IPM in combating cockroaches has been documented
in other studies. It has also been shown that non-IPM methods, such as broadcast
spraying, fogging, and the use of “bug bombs” are not effective
against roaches, and pose a high risk of pesticide exposure to residents.
Common
Chemical in Homes May Harm Male Reproductive System
Recent research from Denmark suggests that a common class
of chemicals found in homes, known as phthalates, may damage the male reproductive
system, leading to serious deformities and diseases that can decrease fertility
and prevent boys and men from living normal lives.
Phthalates are known endocrine disruptors, meaning that
they interfere with the way the human body regulates hormone levels. Such interference
is especially troubling during the early stages of pregnancy, when the developing
fetus is awash in a sea of hormones that determine, among other things, the
gender of the child.
Phthalates are found in a wide variety of products in the
home, including plastic, carpeting, food packaging, and pesticides. They can
also be found in make-up, sunscreen, and as residues in milk and on vegetables.
The chemicals are abundant in house dust and are especially prevalent in homes
with dust-trapping carpeting.
The Danish researchers chose to study phthalates’
impact on the male reproductive system after noting a marked increase in male
genital abnormalities in Europe over the past 25 years. The researchers and
other experts believe that these abnormalities may be related and can likely
be tied to low sperm counts and testicular cancer. Though these experts believe
that phthalates and other environmental influences are causes of these abnormalities,
they also caution that genes plays a role as well.
New Research
Shows Homes are Large Source of Exposure to Specific Class of Pesticides
New research that builds upon previous studies of children
and pesticides has discovered that residential use of pyrethroid pesticides
is a larger source of exposure than diet. The use of pyrethroid pesticides has
increased as once-common organophosphate (OP) chemicals such as chlorpyrifos
and diazinon have been banned from all residential uses.
Pyrethroids are used to combat a variety of pest infestations
in the home, including termites, ants, bees, wasps, and cockroaches. Like OPs
used in the past, pyrethroids are often applied through broadcast spraying and
fogging. These methods pose a very high risk of significant pesticide exposures
especially to children. Residues of sprayed pesticides can linger for months,
even years, within a home, clinging to carpeting, furniture, and other surfaces.
These pesticides are not degraded quickly because of the absence of wind, rain,
and ultraviolet radiation indoors.
Pyrethroids are chemically similar to and are derived from
naturally occurring pyrethrum, found in mums and daisies, but are synthetic
chemicals. They are suspected neurotoxins, endocrine disruptors, and immune
system suppressors. Some specific pyrethroids may also be carcinogenic. The
scientists involved in the study urge further research to increase knowledge
about the health impacts of pyrethroid exposure in the home.
All
Women in Spanish Study Have at Least One Pesticide in Their Placentas
In early September, the University of Granada in Spain
revealed that all 308 of the women who participated in a study conducted as
part of a doctoral thesis had at least one pesticide in their placental tissues
when they gave birth. On average, eight pesticides were found in each placenta,
though some contained as many as 15 of the 17 pesticides examined.
The study was carried out to determine the presence of
chlorinated hydrocarbons (organochlorines) that are used as pesticides in the
bodies of pregnant women. All 17 of the organochlorine pesticides studied are
known or suspected endocrine disruptors, meaning that they may interfere with
the proper performance of the human hormone system and may harm fetal development.
Many organochlorines are also bioaccumulators, meaning that they are stored
in body fat and increase in concentration over a lifetime.
The most frequently detected pesticides were DDE (a metabolite
of DDT), lindane, and endosulfan diol. A higher concentration of these pesticides
was observed in older women, women with a higher body mass index, first-time
mothers, and mothers who had babies with low birth weights.
Reducing exposure to pesticides is key to lowering the
number and concentration of such chemicals in placental tissue and potential
exposure and harm to developing fetuses. Integrated pest management (IPM) has
already been shown to be effective in reducing pesticide exposures among pregnant
women. Avoiding environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is another effective pesticide
exposure prevention method.
October
Marks Important Environmental Health Observances
October 15-21 is designated by the EPA as National Radon
Awareness Week, part of Healthy Indoor Air Month. The Montana State University
Extension Program offers a list of 10 suggested activities that radon safety
advocates might undertake at www.montana.edu/wwwcxair/October_radon.htm.
October 22-28 is National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention
Week. State and local governments, policymakers, and lead poisoning prevention
advocates can help highlight successes, call attention to challenges that still
remain, and advance primary prevention. Examples of past events from across
the country and sample outreach and education materials are available on the
Alliance’s website at www.afhh.org/res/res_by_topic_lead_outreach_education.htm.
Additional activities and resources are suggested at www.montana.edu/wwwcxair/October_Lead.htm.
October is also National Children’s Health Month.
EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection and Environmental Education
is planning a series of webcasts on topics related to healthy school environments,
including Healthy High Performance Schools (Oct. 11), Chemical Management in
Schools (Oct. 19), and Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool (Oct. 26).
EPA also has created a calendar featuring daily action steps for protecting
children’s health at http://yosemite.epa.gov/ochp/ochpweb.nsf/content/calendar.htm.
New Environmental
Health Website and Tools Available for Pediatric Health Care Providers
In September, the National Environmental Education and
Training Foundation (NEETF) announced the launch of its new website and environmental
health training tools for pediatric health care providers. The site was developed
as part of the Children’s Environmental Health Faculty Champions Initiative,
which aims to build health professionals’ capacity to address children’s
environmental health issues.
The website features PowerPoint presentations and resources
developed by leading experts in the field of pediatric environmental health
education. The presentations offer an overview of many of the environmental
health topics most frequently encountered by pediatric health care providers,
including children’s unique vulnerabilities to environmental health risks,
environmental history taking, asthma, tobacco smoke, pesticides, and lead.
The website also includes a comprehensive list of NEETF’s
environmental health publications for health care providers, as well as selected
environmental health resources from a variety of other sources. These tools
can be accessed by visiting www.neetf.org/health/champions.
Updated
Lead-Safe Work Practices Guide Available for Do-It-Yourself Home Improvement
The New England Lead Coordinating Committee (NELCC), a
regional consortium of state agencies working to eliminate lead poisoning, has
updated its lead safety guide for do-it-yourselfers, as part of the region's
Keep It Clean campaign. The new booklet is entitled "Don't Spread Lead:
A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Lead-Safe Painting, Repair, and Home Improvement."
It explains basic lead-safe work practices: protect your family and your neighbors,
prepare the work area, protect yourself from lead dust, work wet, and work clean.
The Alliance for Healthy Homes was recently awarded the
"Best in America" seal from the Independent Charities of America (ICA).
The seal indicates that ICA considers the Alliance one of the best charities
in America and ensures donors to the Alliance that their funds will be used
effectively.
According to the ICA, “The ICA Seal is awarded to
the members of ICA and the Local Independent Charities of America that have,
upon rigorous independent review, been able to certify, document, and demonstrate
on an annual basis that they meet the highest standards of public accountability,
program effectiveness, and cost effectiveness. These standards include those
required by the U.S. Government for inclusion in the Combined Federal Campaign,
probably the most exclusive fund drive in the world. Of the 1,000,000 charities
operating in the United States today, it is estimated that fewer than 50,000,
or five percent, meet or exceed these standards, and, of those, fewer than 2,000,
or 0.2 percent, have been awarded this Seal."
Those interested in contributing to the Alliance can visit
www.afhh.org/misc/misc_contrib.htm
to donate via credit card online or may donate via check through the U.S. Mail.
Alliance Participating
in 2006 Combined Federal Campaign
The 2006 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), which started
in September and runs through the end of December, is the federal government’s
workplace charitable giving program. Federal employees who wish to give to the
Alliance through the CFC can do so by using organization code 1503. Thank you
for your support!
Alliance
and LISC Sponsor Healthy Buildings Web Conference
The Alliance for Healthy Homes, in partnership with
the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, is sponsoring a healthy buildings
web conference on Thursday, October 12, at 2 p.m. The conference will examine
hazards from lead to mold and how to create communities with healthy homes.
Featuring experts from ERT Associates, an environmental and health policy consultancy,
and Urban Edge, a community development corporation working in Jamaica Plain,
Roxbury, and surrounding communities in Massachusetts, Bob Zdenek, Executive
Director of the Alliance, will lead a discussion on: primary prevention, practical
solutions, environmental justice, and holistic approaches and "whole house"
strategies that address multiple hazards and their underlying causes. For more
information, visit www.lisc.org/content/calendar/detail/3387/.
Upcoming
Conferences
The 2006 CDC National Lead Poisoning Prevention Partners'
Conference will be held in Savannah, GA, October 11-13. The theme of the conference
is "Reaching Elimination and Stretching Beyond" highlighting CDC’s
commitment to the elimination of childhood lead poisoning by 2010 and to the
future of children's environmental health. The goal of the conference is to
provide knowledge and increase programmatic skills for CDC-funded programs.
In addition, the conference will provide a forum for exchange of information
so that childhood lead poisoning prevention programs can further develop plans
and policies to eliminate childhood lead poisoning and reduce the adverse impacts
of housing on children’s health. Staff of state and local CLPPPs, other
interested state and local agency staff, federal agency staff, and advocacy
groups working on lead poisoning prevention are all invited to attend. For more
information, visit https://www.lppconf.org/home.html.
The Collaborative on Health and the Environment will host,
with many co-sponsors, a one day national conference titled, "Environmental
Public Health: Science, Medicine, Prevention And Policy," on Friday, October
13 at the University of California—San Francisco. The all-day conference
will provide a solid overview of current scientific knowledge regarding environmental
contributors to human disease, and state-of-the-art efforts to prevent, treat,
and otherwise improve such impacts. The meeting is open to all health professionals,
researchers, advocates, and anyone interested in these issues. For more information
and an agenda, visit www.healthandenvironment.org/articles/doc/729.
The Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment
will hold its 4th Annual Conference on Children's Health and the Environment
in Pittsburgh, PA, on October 21. The conference will address clinically important
issues in children's health that are affected by the environment. Children of
all ages, including those in the fetal stages of development, can be affected
by environmental hazards. Exposure to environmental toxins via air, water, food
or soil can have a significant impact on the health of children. The conference
will focus on the following areas: the built environment, heavy metals exposure
and neurocognitive issues, cancer and environmental exposures and newborn outcomes
and environmental exposures. For information on this year’s conference,
see www.health-e-kids.org
or contact Aurora Amoah, MPH, at 202-994-1166 or eohaoa@gwumc.edu.
Improving Kids’ Environment (IKE) and the Environmental
Management Institute will present the 2006 Indiana Lead Safe and Healthy Homes
Conference, October 24-25, in Indianapolis. The conference is divided into four
tracks (healthy homes, healthy kids, policy and technology, and a discussion
forum) and will cover a wide variety of healthy homes issues, including lead
hazard control, managing lead-based paint in a rental property, lead and learning,
asthma, pests and pesticides, regulatory updates, and healthy homes innovations
and successes. For more information, see www.ikecoalition.org
or contact Janet McCabe at 317-902-3610 or mccabe@ikecoalition.org.
The Northeast Regional Conference on Eliminating Childhood
Lead Poisoning, Implementing Healthy Homes Programs, and Combating Indoor Environmental
Hazards occurs November 1-3 in Providence, RI. For conference details, see www.leadmoldconferences.com.
The 2006 Environmental Public Health Conference, presented
by Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Environmental Health, will
be held in Atlanta, December 4-6. The conference theme is "Advancing Environmental
Public Health: Science, Practice, New Frontiers." For more information,
see www.cdc.gov/nceh/conference/index.htm.
The University of California—San Francisco –
Collaborative on Health and the Environment Summit on Environmental Challenges
to Reproductive Health and Fertility will be presented January 28-30, 2007,
in San Francisco. The Summit will provide overviews by leading researchers of
the science on environmental contaminant impacts on male and female reproductive
health and fertility, developmental health, and peri-conceptional and fetal
origins of adult disorders. The Summit will also explore critical research directions
and tools; translation of the research to public health policy; integration
with health professional education; federal government environmental reproductive
health priorities; patient advocate and community health concerns; and translation
of research to clinical disorders. For more information, visit www.ucsf.edu/coe/prhesummit.html.
The 6th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth: Building
Safe, Healthy and Livable Communities Conference will be held in Los Angeles,
February 8-10, 2007. The conference hosts a variety of participants and speakers
who cross disciplines to share experiences and insights, and valuable tools
and strategies to encourage smart growth implementation. Public health is one
important discipline that has begun to recognize smart growth as a viable solution
to improve our nation’s health. To view more information on this conference,
visit www.newpartners.org.
The International Conference on Developmental Toxicity
and Fetal Programming will take place
May 20-24, 2007, in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands (located in the North Atlantic).
This international conference emphasizes a) the developmental perspective, i.e.,
the risks during different developmental stages, from preconception to adolescence,
from toxic substances; b) the environmental perspective, i.e., the impacts of
different environmental hazards; and c) the disease perspective, i.e., long-term
health implications. For further information, please visit www.pptox.dk.
Upcoming
Trainings
Building Science Corporation is offering its two-day advanced
building science course through the end of 2006 in locations throughout the
country. Topics covered will include rain control, air control and ventilation,
heat and moisture movement, green building, and disaster resistance. Each course
module (14 in all) is the subject of a Building Science Digest that will be
freely available online several weeks prior to each listed course. Courses will
be taught October 26-27 in Boston, October 31-November 1 in Chicago, November
2-3 in Atlanta, November 7-8 in Dallas, November 28-29 in Orlando, December
12-13 in Seattle, and December 19-20 in Minneapolis. For more details, visit
www.buildingscienceseminars.com/.
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