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IN THIS ISSUE: The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY2004
VA, HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations bill on September 4, 2003. Report
language recommends overall funding for HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control
at $175 million; $39 million more than the Administration’s request and
$45 million more than the amount approved by the full House. This includes $50
million for the Urban Lead Hazard Reduction Program, a program that Congress
added in FY2003. Funds were not requested for this program in the Administration’s
request, nor were they provided in the House’s VA-HUD appropriations bill.
The bill includes level funding for healthy homes grants, Operation LEAP, and
technical assistance at the requested levels of $10 million each, along with
additional flexibility for HUD to make grants to community-based organizations
as well as government agencies for education, outreach, research, and demonstrations. This Senate bill reduces EPA’s grants to states with
authorized lead safety programs by $9 million. The stated intent is to reduce
an excessively high carryover balance rather than actually to reduce EPA’s
grants to state lead programs, which total about $13.7 million annually.
The Senate bill also includes a separate $5 million set-aside under the Community
Development Block Grants Fund for a lead-based paint abatement pilot program
in St. Louis. The bill will soon go to the full Senate. After passage a House-Senate
conference committee will have to work out the differences. The Senate Report
is available at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/1?sid=cp108OmKD&item=1&hd_count=2&r_t=a&r_n=108-143&submit=Search&variant=y&acronym=n&syndict=n&spq=n&sort_by_docid=n&d_q=on&dbname
=cp108&maxdocs=1&report=sr143.108&sel=TOC_191388&. On August 4, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm issued
a 33 page “Call to Action” to address childhood lead poisoning in
the state. The report describes the dimensions of lead poisoning in the state
and outlines a number of proposals to address the problem, including:
- Redoubled efforts to increase blood lead screening
of young children, particularly children enrolled in Medicaid.
- Legislation to create a lead-safe housing registry
and provide penalties against property owners and managers who knowingly fail
to remedy hazards or who sell or re-rent hazardous housing.
- Assessment and reporting on lead contaminated current
or former smelters, foundries or other industrial sites.
- More aggressive efforts to secure grants from federal
agencies, as well as private foundations, to increase resources to address
lead poisoning.
- Creation of a multi-agency/multi-stakeholder task force
to develop a comprehensive strategic action and funding plan. The task force
has already started meeting and has until the end of the year to complete
its work.
Currently, the Michigan Surgeon General is spearheading
a series of town hall meetings throughout the state to raise awareness of the
problem and build support for the Call to Action’s recommendations. Advocates
throughout the State say that the Governor’s report and a series of articles
in the Detroit Free Press over the past several months have put lead poisoning
on the policy front burner and opened up substantial opportunities for progress.
A full copy of the Call to Action can be downloaded at www.michigan.gov/documents/ChildLeadPoisoning2_71150_7.pdf.
For more information, contact Paul Haan, Coordinator, Get the Lead Out! Project
at gtlo@altelco.net or
616-241-3300. On July 24, Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich signed
into law a bill (Senate Bill 1079) to protect children in licensed day care
centers from exposure to pesticides and pests. The new law requires all licensed
day care centers in the State to use Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Children
must be absent from day care facilities during application of pesticides. Parents
must be notified at least two, but not more than 30, days in advance of application,
and children's toys and other items must be removed prior to pesticide applications.
The bill passed unanimously in both the House and Senate. A survey of childcare facilities in Chicago by the Safer
Pest Control Project, who was instrumental in the bill's passage, found that
the vast majority of centers (71%) reported pest problems; 45% used pesticides;
and 91% of the day care centers served children with asthma or other respiratory
illnesses. To find out more information on state laws and/or pest management
in schools, visit www.beyondpesticides.org/schools.
For more information on the bill, visit www.spcpweb.org
or contact Julie Dick at the Safer Pest Control Project at 312-759-8267 or jdick@bpichicago.org.
On July 29, 2003 Milwaukee’s case against the lead
industry was dismissed on the grounds that the city failed to provide adequate
evidence that the defendants’ products were applied to homes or caused
children to become poisoned in city neighborhoods cited by the suit. The judge
required the plaintiffs to prove that the defendants’ products caused
damage at specific properties, rather than considering the community-wide harm
caused by lead-based paint, which is the applicable standard in public nuisance
actions. Published reports suggest that an appeal is likely. The Milwaukee case is one of a number of similar government
suits across the country that are putting pressure on the industry. Despite
recent setbacks in the California and New Jersey cases, governments in both
places are moving forward with appeals. It’s also worth noting that the
tobacco industry once appeared invincible in court. Opportunities remain to
prove industry culpability in court and to require these companies to pay their
fair share to make high-risk housing safe for children. For additional information
on litigation against the lead industry, visit the Alliance's website at http://www.afhh.org/aa/aa_legal_remedies_lawsuits.htm. On June 30, EPA completed an assessment of the pesticide
carbaryl, an insecticide used widely in agriculture. Based on the agency’s
findings, EPA is requiring new measures to protect the health of agricultural
workers, homeowners, and the environment including eliminating some uses and
application methods, and requiring protective equipment and engineering controls.
EPA is also eliminating its use for most pet care and aerosol products, as well
as liquid lawn care applications. No risks were found from dietary exposure.
The "Interim Re-registration Eligibility Decision"
for carbaryl, and related documents including EPA risk assessments and a summary
of this decision, will be available at: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/. To view
a press release on this action, visit http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/b1ab9f485b098972852562e7004dc686/a876fc446ef4378785
256d5800666a18?OpenDocument. The September 2003 issue of the American Journal of Public
Health (Vol. 98, No. 9) carries several articles exploring the impact of the
built environment on human health, including an editorial (“The Impact
of the Built Environment on Health: An Emerging Field”) by Dr. Richard
Jackson which encourages shifts to increase green space, and improve pedestrian
facilities and public transportation to promote better mental and physical health.
This issue includes articles on mental health, traffic safety, affordable housing,
government policies and law, economics, and crime in communities. Links to public
health conditions including asthma, obesity, social inequities, and cardiovascular
disease are explored. To order articles from the journal, visit www.ajph.org.
The Government Reform Committee released a report in August
exposing the Bush Administration’s efforts to control and influence science
at the expense of public health. Representative Henry Waxman initiated this
assessment of the Administration’s treatment of science. The report includes
information on the Administration suppressing agency reports and manipulating
scientific advisory panels. Beneficiaries of the administration’s efforts
have included powerful industry group supporters. The site, Politics and Science:
Investigating the Bush Administration’s Promotion of Ideology Over Science
(www.house.gov/reform/min/politicsandscience/), also includes information on
the industry’s efforts to stack CDC’s childhood lead poisoning prevention
advisory committee last fall with representatives with ties to the lead industry.
The Reform Committee’s report is available on the site at http://www.house.gov/reform/min/politicsandscience/pdfs/pdf_politics_and_science_rep.pdf.
CDC and ATSDR recently announced over $1 million in funding
for health conferences. The grant programs promote the goals of “Healthy
People 2010,” an HHS initiative that seeks improved health of all people
in the U.S. Targeted objectives and focus areas include environmental health;
respiratory disease; maternal, infant, and child health; cancer; and educational
and community-based programs. Approximately $1,100,000 is available from CDC.
The agency expects to provide 60 to 80 grant awards, averaging about $20,000.
To be eligible for funding from CDC, applicants must be either a public or private
non-profit or faith-based organization. ATSDR funding is open to public health
agencies or their agents, health professional associations, and other chartered
organizations. Funding totaling $25,000 is available from ATSDR. The agency
plans to award 5 grants totaling between $5,000 and $10,000. To be eligible for funding from ATSDR or CDC, conferences
must be planned for May 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005. Visit http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-22007.htm
for the full funding announcement. For general assistance, contact Rick Jaeger
at 770-488-2727 or rjaeger@cdc.gov.
Contact Janet Telman at 770-488-2834 or jtelman@cdc.gov
for technical assistance. A new website (www.grants.gov)
will streamline the process of seeking and securing federal grants. Beginning
on October 1, all federal agencies will be required to provide notice of grants
on the site, including application guidance and other materials. Visitors can
also elect to receive grant notices by e-mail based on specific funding categories
including housing, environment, health, and community development. The Annie E. Casey Foundation released its annual report,
the Kids Count Data Book, on June 11, 2003. The report contains data for the
years 1990-2000 on the economic conditions of American families including child
health, neighborhood characteristics, technology/isolation, and education. An
essay entitled “The High Cost of Being Poor: Another Perspective on Helping
Low-Income Families Get By and Get Ahead” analyzes conditions that contribute
and maintain poverty, including predatory pricing and wealth-stripping of low-income
working families. The report also offers a number of recommendations to help
alleviate poverty in America. The report is available online at the foundation’s
website, http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/databook/.
Included on the site is a tool that allows users to extract raw data, graphs,
and other information from the report. EPA has launched a web-based initiative for primary schools
to promote indoor air quality. “IAQ Design Tools for Schools” (www.epa.gov/iaq/schooldesign/)
provides practical cost-effective approaches to encourage school officials to
integrate healthy indoor air quality practices into the design, construction,
renovation, operation, and maintenance of schools, including portable classrooms.
The site includes information on effective preliminary design measures, pollutant
and moisture control, HVAC systems, contractor procurement, and incorporation
of safe building materials into contract negotiations. EPA hopes to encourage
a “whole building approach” to healthy school environments that
addresses energy efficiency, safety, lighting, and materials efficiency. The New England Asthma Regional Council’s website
(www.asthmaregionalcouncil.org)
contains a number of resources on healthy homes including building guidance
and maintenance information at http://www.asthmaregionalcouncil.org/about/focus_housing.html.
The Council seeks to reduce the impact of asthma on children and families across
New England through collaborations of health, housing, education, and environmental
organizations. The Council focuses particularly on the contribution of schools,
homes, and communities to asthma and the disproportionate impact of the disease
on low income and minority communities. A fact sheet is available on the Children’s Health
Environmental Coalition’s website (www.checnet.org/healthehouse/education/articles-detail.asp?Main_ID=483)
that explores the link between exposure to environmental toxins, including lead
and PCBs, to Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Children are
frequently diagnosed with ADHD and are often prescribed medication to treat
its symptoms. Little research has been done linking these symptoms to environmental
toxins exposure. The fact sheet was reprinted with permission from the Center
for Children’s Health and the Environment at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine
(www.childrenenvironment.org).
EnviroMapper, a web-based tool, is available on EPA’s
website to map information on air releases, drinking water, hazardous waste,
water discharge permits, and Superfund sites across the country. EnviroMapper
allows users to view different facilities present within a specific area. Users
can also create maps at the national, state, and county levels, and link them
to web pages or other documents. EnviroMapper is available at http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/em/. Affordable Comfort for New England will be held in Westford,
MA on October 1 and 2, 2003. The conference will cover an array of topics related
to healthy homes including green construction, moisture and mold, weatherization,
combustion safety, insulation, and liability and insurance issues. The cost
of the conference is $275. The cost for exhibitions is $375. Visit Affordable
Comfort’s website at http://66.155.84.72/html/acNE03.html
for more information. Registration is available online and by phone (724-627-5200,
ext. 10) or fax (724-627-5226). The Indiana Lead-Safe and Healthy Homes Conference, sponsored
by Improving Kids Environment, is being held in Indianapolis from October 15
through 16, 2003. The conference will feature tracks on healthy homes, healthy
kids, policy and technology, and a discussion forum. Registration fees are $125
before Sept. 26 and $150 after. A discounted rate of $95 is available for additional
individuals from the same organization. Exhibition space ranges in cost from
$150 to $250 before Sept. 26. For more information, including registration and
scholarship materials, visit www.ikecoalition.org or contact Tom Neltner at
317-442-3973 or neltner@ikecoalition.org.
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.
The registration fee for members is $270 and $300 for non-members before September
15. Rates increase thereafter. 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.
Visit www.leadmoldconferences.com
or call 800-590-6522 for additional conference information. The Alliance sponsors two e-mail listservs – Leadnet
and Healthyhomesnet – that allow hundreds of advocates, policy makers,
state and local government staff, health providers, and others to share news,
ideas, information and experiences with one another. Leadnet is a forum about lead poisoning prevention. Healthyhomesnet
is a forum about broader housing-related health issues, with particular attention
to maintenance and rehab of existing properties, practices, and policies that
apply to low-income housing, holistic approaches, and primary prevention. If you wish to subscribe to either of these listservs,
email Laura Fudala at lfudala@afhh.org
with your name, affiliation, and contact information, specifying which list(s)
you want to subscribe to. |
