Basic Tools for Lead Poisoning Prevention Work at WWW.SCORECARD.ORG

 The “Lead Hazards” section on Scorecard’s home page takes you to a wealth of critical information on lead hazards and childhood lead poisoning. 

1. Find out how many housing units are likely to have lead hazards in your state, county or census tract.  Scorecard gives you the total number and percentage of units at “high-risk” for lead hazards.  Numbers and percentages of older housing, low-income households and children in poverty are also available for states, counties and census tracts.  This information can help advocates set priorities for prevention efforts and provide data for news stories about the problem.  To view the report  for your state, scroll down about half-way on the main page, and click on the US map (or use the list under “Choose a State”), and then click “View Report.” The data for indicators are presented on the label above each horizontal “thermometer” that compares this place with others.  To view a report for your county, click on “counties” in the line immediately below the state-wide data, and then select the county from the list.  For census tract data, click on “census tracts” in the line below the county-wide data, and then select the tract from the list.  If you do not know the tract number but can identify it from a map, click on a map of this county. If you cannot identify it from a map but have an address, go to http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/AGSGeoAddressServlet?_lang=en&_programYear=50&_treeId=420.

2. Rank your state, county or census tract for lead poisoning risk.  Scorecard allows risk ranking of states, counties and census tracts relative to others (in your state or in the entire US) by total number of high risk units or percentage of units at high-risk.  This could be useful for HUD lead hazard control grant applicants who are trying to prioritize target communities.  It also could help local advocates identify potential lead poisoning “hot spots” to target education and outreach efforts, educate policy makers about the extent and severity of the local lead poisoning problem and do media advocacy.   To view a report ranking all counties in the country with the highest number of high-risk units, scroll down about half-way on the main page past the US map to “View National Report,” and then select “Hot Spots of Housing with High Risk of Lead Hazards.” Just below the list of counties you can rank states or census tracts in the nation.  You can change the factor used to create the ranking  (from number of high-risk units to percentage high-risk, children in poverty, low-income households, pre-1950 housing), and the geographical area (state, county) that sets the boundaries for rankings of  smaller areas (county, census tract). To change ranking factors/areas, make different choices in the boxes at the top of the Hot Spots report.

3. Draw maps that contain county or census tract level data about housing risk factors.  You can see these data in an adjacent bar graph. Map boundaries are adjustable and you can print maps.   Maps can help government officials and advocacy groups  target programs (screening, education, housing inspections, etc.) and generate information for grant applications.  Maps illustrate the geographic patterns that lead poisoning follows. 

To view a map, open the report for any state, count, or census tract, scroll to “Map Locating Lead Hazards” and click on the place name listed in the next line. In the Map Viewer window, move the cursor over the map image to see data for the area in the bar graph, and click the cursor to change the view: Zoom (reduce or increase the area showing), Report (view the Scorecard report for the area selected) and Recenter (move the focus to an area where cursor points). 

4. Influence public policy.  Scorecard allows you to send an email to the governor of your state about a timely lead poisoning policy issue. Select “Action Tools” then “Send an email…” Throughout the website, from the main menu-bar on the left side, Scorecard “Discussion Forums” offer you a chance to join online discussion about specific pollution issues in your county and opportunities to act. 

5. Learn how many children are known to be highly lead-poisoned in your state.  Scorecard tells you the number of children documented to have blood lead levels of 20 or higher in 1997 for most states, and makes comparisons with other states.  Policy makers can use this information to compare their state with others. To view from any state report, select “Blood Lead Levels in Children.” 

6. Locate the hot spots for lead air quality hazards and environmental releases of lead.  Information is available on ambient air concentrations (based on Clean Air Act reports) and releases of lead and lead compounds (from Toxic Release Inventory reports).  Data and comparisons are available for counties, nationally and within any state. To view this data, select “Hot Spots of Lead Air Quality Hazards.”  Detailed county reports on other toxic releases are available elsewhere on the Scorecard Web site. 

7. Connect with lead poisoning prevention advocacy groups in your community and state.  Scorecard features state-by-state listings of non-profit groups interested in lead poisoning prevention that can be a resource for groups seeking to expand their advocacy network or recruit members for coalitions or collaborations, and for individuals looking for information and/or somewhere to volunteer. To check out the lists, select “Action Tools.”

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