The Lead Post, 1

Summer 1996 Volume One Number One

The Lead Post

Moving Towards a Lead-Safe Environment for America’s Children

Office of Lead Hazard Control * 451 7th Street, S.W. * Room B-133 * Washington, DC 20410

The Lead

Abatement

Program

Serves as a

Lifeboat for

Many Young

Men in

Baltimore

by Dolline Hatchett

Its a viable alternative.

Thats what Joe Jones thinks

of the HUD funded Lead

Abatement Grant and the

opportunities it provides many

young men in the SandtownWinchester/Harlem Park and

Middle East neighborhoods of

Baltimore. It provides them a

viable alternative to the quickfix solutions that the streets of

Baltimore offer -- drugs, guns,

crime and prison.

Jones is the Director of the

Baltimore City Healthy Start

Mens Services Program. Established in June 1993, the

program is an outgrowth of

Healthy Start, the citys federally-funded assault on

Baltimores high infant mortality rate.

The Mens Services Program

prepares the young men for

one of the biggest challenges

of their lives -- fatherhood.

Ten counselors give the 170

men who are currently in the

program support, encouragement, child-rearing

classes and educational training, as well as assistance in

substance abuse counseling

and family planning.

And most importantly, so that

the fathers will be able to provide for their young families,

they provide a direct link for

job placement through the

lead abatement grant.

The Lead Abatement Grant

and Mens Services

The Baltimore City Health Department has been the recipient of two rounds of funding

from the U.S. Department of

Housing and Urban

Developments Office of Lead

Hazard Control to control lead

paint hazards in the inner-city

neighborhoods of Baltimore.

See Baltimore, page 8

Name Change

As you may have noticed, the Office of Lead-Based Paint Abatement and Poisoning Prevention has changed its name to the Office of Lead Hazard Control.

This name change more accurately reflects our work with helping to prevent

childhood lead poisoning from all sources of lead, not just lead-based paint.

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The Lead Post, 2

The Lead Post *** Inside This Issue

Cover Story...........................................................................page 1

From the Directors Chair.............................................page 2

Grantee Spotlight..............................................................page 3

Lead Disclosure Rule to Take Effect this Fall..page 4

Lead Tips.................................................................................page 5

Lead Office Web Site.......................................................page 5

Proposed Rule Constitutes a Major

Revision of Lead-Based Paint Regulations.......page 6

Lead Stars..............................................................................page 7

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The Lead Post

Published by the HUD Office of Lead Hazard

Control

Director: Dave Jacobs

Deputy Director: Ron Morony

Editor/Writer: Dolline Hatchett

Design/Layout: Matt Ammon

Send story ideas, suggestions and comments to

dolline_l._hatchett@hud.gov

From the Directors Chair....

Making

houses

safe for

young children--that’s

the central

mission of

HUD’s lead-based paint program and that’s

what this newsletter is all about. In this first

issue of the Lead Post, we explore the ways

local governments are using HUD funds to

prevent childhood lead poisoning without

driving up the cost of affordable housing.

Whether it’s a job training, family-building

program like Healthy Start in Baltimore or a

new mortgage equity-qualifying concept for

first-time home buyers in Manchester, Connecticut, communities across the country are

coming to grips with lead poisoning prevention in new ways. These are inspiring stories--stories that show complicated problems like lead poisoning do have solutions.

That’s good news for our children, but far

too often it remains a little-known fact. The

Lead Post is about spreading the news.

See Director, page 12

HUD is doing its part to help. We have

adopted a more flexible approach that permits local grantees and private owners to

decide the right choice for their houses: shortterm inexpensive exposure control methods

that demand long-term heightened property

management practices, or more expensive,

but “permanent” abatement solutions. Whatever the decision, we have focused our attention on identifying and controlling hazards

using scientifically-tested techniques and

quality control systems to ensure children are

protected. That’s also why I have recently

changed our name from the Office of LeadBased Paint Abatement and Poisoning Prevention (OLBPAPP) to the Office of Lead

Hazard Control. Besides being easier to say

in a single breath, the new name better articulates our broader mission. We are concerned with the key exposure pathways of

lead-contaminated dust and soil, not only

lead-based paint, and we are providing a

broader menu of hazard control choices, not

just “abatement.”
The Lead Post, 3

Manchester, Connecticut, is a good candidate

for lead abatement assistance. A large percentage of its housing is at risk for lead poisoning. In fact, about 85% of the housing in

the low-income, downtown residential areas

was built before 1978 before paint was finally

prohibited for interior and exterior residential

use.

In the Spring of 1996, using HUD grant funds

and matching town monies, the Manchester

Lead Abatement

Project (LAP) designed a program

to do lead hazard

abatement, community education, economic

development and

to encourage

community investment. Successful applicants are offered

grants from Title

X and from Community Development Block

Grant Funds (CDBG) to do lead abatement

and to correct code violations.

Grantee Spotlight

This has reaped substantial rewards. Approximately 94 dwelling units in 36 structures have

been accepted into the program and 78 dwelling units are now in the process of having lead

hazards abated.

Two dwelling units have already passed clearance and 43 local general construction contractors have applied to LAP to do hazard

abatement work in town. In addition, 25 construction workers and supervisors have been

successfully trained for State certification.

Enthusiasm by applicants can be attributed to

many reasons. First, the project has been initiated and sustained by “top level” commitment. Mayor Steven Cassano and Town Manager Richard Sartor have supported project

activities, publicizing LAP at every opportunity.

Numerous public presentations and television

spots have been used to both inform and educate the public about the LAP.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) operates the Lead-Based Paint Hazard

Control Grant Program established by Title X of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992,

also known as the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act. The primary purpose of the lead

program is to reduce the exposure of young children to lead-based paint hazards in their homes.

Since 1993, $279 million has been awarded to 56 grantees in 23 States to stimulate the development of

cost-effective lead hazard control techniques using a trained and certified workforce.

The Lead Post will periodically highlight a grantee which has made great strides in this area.

The Manchester Connecticut Lead Abatement Project

by Sue Heller, Project Administrator, Lead Abatement Project

See Grantee, page 12
The Lead Post, 4

The Lead Disclosure Rule

which was jointly published by

the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

(HUD) and the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) will

take effect on September 6,

1996, for owners of

more than four dwelling units. The rule will

not impact property

owners with less than

four dwelling units until December 6,

1996.

The purpose of the

rule, which was mandated by the Residential Lead-Based

Paint Reduction Act

of 1992 (Title X of the Housing

and Community Development

Act of 1992), is to ensure that

parents have the information

they need to protect their children from lead-based paint

hazards that may exist in their

dwellings.

Extent of Unsafe Levels

More than 1.7 million American children have unsafe

blood lead levels, making lead

poisoning the number one

environmental health hazard

for children under the age of

six.

New Lead Disclosure

Rule To Take Effect This

Fall Most of those children are poisoned from deteriorated paint

and contaminated dust and

soil.

Highly dangerous to humans,

especially children, lead poisoning can result in reduced

intelligence, behavioral problems, and learning disabilities.

Lead-based paint was used in

approximately 64 million dwellings before it was banned in

1978. However, common

sense procedures used when

performing routine maintenance or home renovations

can significantly reduce the

risk of lead poisoning.

Highlights of the Rule

Section 1018 of the 1992

Housing and Community Development Act required HUD

and EPA to issue joint regulations requiring owners to disclose information concerning

lead-based paint and its associated hazards before the sale

or lease of most pre-1978

houses. In addition, owners

have to provide prospective

buyers with a copy of a pamphlet developed by HUD, EPA

and the Consumer Product

Safety Commission (CPSC).

See Disclosure Rule, page 9
The Lead Post, 5

Lead Tips

Did You Know...

Many homes built before 1978

have lead-based paint. The federal government banned leadbased paint from housing in

1978. Some states stopped its

use even earlier.

Lead-based paint that is in good

condition is usually not a hazard.

Peeling, chipping, chalking, or

cracking lead-based paint is a

hazard and needs immediate attention.

Lead dust can form when leadbased paint is dry scraped, dry

sanded, or heated. Dust also

forms when painted surfaces

bump or rub together. Lead

chips and dust can get on surfaces and objects that people

touch. Settled dust can reenter

the air when people vacuum,

sweep, or walk through it. Contaminated bare soil can also increase dust lead levels.

The Lead Office is now on the Internet to bring

you the latest information on lead abatement

and poisoning prevention.

Established to respond to the growing interest

of information on lead, the web site covers

several program areas such as training development, outreach activities, the hazard control grant program and research and guideline development.

In addition, the Home Page creates a comprehensive site for lead-based paint information

where the most current and accurate information can be accessed and downloaded, which

in turn can be printed and distributed to specific target groups. It will also facilitate outreach efforts by making an important form of

electronic information transfer available to the

public.

Visit the site at http://www.hud.gov/lea/leahome.html

The Lead OfficeWeb Site

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Who s Who At the HUD Office of

Lead Hazard Control?

The following is a list of contacts at the Office of

Lead Hazard Control. Feel free to call if you have

any questions in the following areas:

Grants Program

Ellis Goldman

(202) 755-1785 ext. 112

Technical Studies and Regulations Development

Steve Weitz

(202) 755-1785 ext. 106

Training and Technical Assistance

Carolyn Newton

(202) 755-1785 ext. 125

Community Outreach

Dolline Hatchett

(202) 755-1785 ext. 114
The Lead Post, 6

HUD published a proposed rule in the Federal

Register on June 7, 1996, that will constitute a

major revision of the Department’s lead-based

paint regulations. The rule will help protect children living in federally-assisted and federallyowned housing from lead exposure. The rule

will also implement sections 1012 and 1013 of

the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992, (Title X of the Housing and

Community Development Act of 1992) and will

help ensure that federally-assisted housing is

made lead-safe. These sections of the law set

forth significant new requirements concerning

lead-based paint hazard notification, evaluation, and reduction for federally-owned residential property and housing receiving Federal assistance. And for the first time, HUD’s leadbased paint requirements for all Federal programs will be consolidated in one place in the

Code of Federal Regulations.

The regulation is divided in two parts. The first

tailors lead-based paint requirements for all

HUD programs, as well as residential programs

of other Federal agencies based on each

program’s needs and operations. The other

part explains how to perform lead-based paint

hazard evaluation and reduction activities, such

as risk assessment and interim controls, based

on recent scientific studies of how lead-based

paint causes lead poisoning and the HUD

Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of

Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Housing.

Proposed Rule Constitutes a Major Revision

of Lead-Based Paint Regulations

Copies of the guidelines can be downloaded

from the Office of Lead Hazard Control’s Home

Page at http://www.hud.gov/lea/leahome.html.

On June 25, 1996, the Office of Lead Hazard

Control gave a satellite briefing to explain the

requirements of the proposed regulations.

This briefing is available on video and can be

ordered by calling HUD USER at 1-800-245-

2691.

Send Your Stories In

The Lead Post needs good success stories

in the areas of lead abatement and poisoning prevention. Please mail stories on a

diskette with any accompanying photos to

Dolline Hatchett, Community Outreach

Officer, U.S. Department of Housing and

Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street,

S.W., B-133, Washington, DC 20410.

Photos will not be returned. Deadline for

story submissions:

Fall issue: Deadline - October 28, 1996

Winter Issue: Deadline - January 27, 1997

Spring Issue: Deadline - April 28, 1997
The Lead Post, 7

Carolyn Newton

is the Training

and Technical

Assistance

Manager for the

Department of

Housing and Urban Development, Office of Lead Hazard Control, in Washington, D.C. She provides training, technical assistance and guidance to HUD

program field offices and others regarding various program requirements. Although she has

worked in the Lead Hazard Control Office for

only 10 months, she has worked in the lead field

for more than 27 years.

“Most of my career has been in lead-based

paint and poisoning prevention. I think we owe

it to our children to provide them with a leadsafe environment,” said Newton.

Lead Stars

Carolyn also wears another hat within the department. In addition to her training and technical assistance duties, she assists the Office

of Public and Indian Housing by advising them

on their lead policies and the best ways of

implementing them.

“What I really want property owners and managers to know is that this lead issue is not

overwhelming. It is something that can be

dealt with and it is my job to see that every

question regarding lead hazard control gets

answered. That’s why I am here.”

Carolyn Newton resides in Mitchellville, Maryland with her husband. She has three grown

children.

If you know someone who is a hard worker in the area of

lead abatement and poisoning prevention, please send their

biographical information along with a small photo to us.

We know there are a lot of you out there and we would like

to hear from you.

Carolyn

Newton
The Lead Post, 8

Together, the grants have provided approximately $12 million in funding. Because of this,

1,000 houses will be treated, reducing the risks

of young children being poisoned by lead.

One of the most significant goals in the Health

Departments implementation of the project is to

help economically disadvantaged males gain

employment. This is achieved, in part, through

the Mens Services Program.

After a rigorous screening and pre-employment

physical, these young fathers are linked with experienced abatement contractors who have work

set aside in lead abatement and lead hazard

reduction. By deliberately setting aside large numbers of houses in support of the Mens Services

Program, the project is able to guarantee steady

work for up to two years.

With support from the lead grant, we have put

together a program that energizes young men

who would otherwise have no hope of gaining

employment to be able to provide for their families, said Walter Jackson. Jackson is one of ten

counselors who goes door-to-door convincing

young men to put down a life of crime and drugs

and grab on to a life where there is hope and

self-empowerment.

These young men, who have made mistakes in

the past, cannot be denied the chance to earn

an honest living to provide for their families. The

lead grant that we receive from HUD provides

them with that opportunity, said Jackson.

A Healthy Start

The children are getting a different view of the

world. Thats how Imani Williams sees it. Williams

is also a counselor who has been with the program for several years.

This program has guys who once sold drugs on

the corner now going in the neighborhoods working for a living -- abating homes, said Williams,

and the children see this turnaround.

As a matter of fact, children are largely the reason for most men in the Mens Service Program

wanting to turn their lives around. This includes

men like Myron Turner, the father of five daughters ranging from 4 months to 5 years old.

Turner was not the most optimistic person when

he first came to Healthy Start. He went from making $250 a day selling crack cocaine to $8 an

hour working in the lead abatement program in

the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood of Baltimore.

Its all been worth it, said Turner. Im going to

take my G.E.D. test and continue working to provide for my family.

Clearly, the services provided by Healthy Start and

the Lead Abatement Grant Programs open doors

which have been shut for far too long -- serving

as a lifeboat to many who were drowning in a life

of crime, drugs and despair. But its more far

reaching than that. Theres no way you can measure the self-esteem and confidence booster provided by your G.E.D. diploma. Theres no way

you can put in words the way you feel when you

know someone cares about you -- even if you

dont care about yourself. And theres no way

you can describe how good it feels to earn a

honest living and be able to provide shelter, food

and clothing for your family.

As Turner put the finishing touches of paint on a

home that had just been abated he looked at

me and said, Im glad that someone finally realized that we didnt want a hand out. We just

needed a hand up.

Baltimore, continued from page 1
The Lead Post, 9

HUD has issued guidance to program offices on addressing the potential exposure hazard from lead in imported, non-glossy, vinyl miniblinds.

This is in response to the recent Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announcement, and provides recommended work practices to be followed when removing the blinds from residential units.

The pamphlet contains practical, low cost tips

on identifying and controlling lead-based paint

hazards. Other parts of the rule affecting property owners:

1) Sellers and landlords will be required to

disclose any known lead-based paint hazards

in single-family homes or apartments. This

means they must give prospective buyers or tenants any reports that are available from tests

performed before sale or lease. When the disclosure process occurs, owners or landlords

must provide the information and complete the

disclosure portions of the sales contract or

lease before the prospective buyer or renter becomes obligated under a contract .

2) Buyers of homes must be offered a 10 day

period in which to conduct a paint inspection or

risk assessment, if they wish, at their own expense. However, the number of days can be

changed by mutual consent.

3) Sales contracts and lease agreements must

include certain disclosure and

acknowledgement language.

4) Sellers, landlords, and real estate agents

will all share responsibility for compliance.

The rule marks a new type of regulation that

combines government action with personal responsibility. For instance, the rule does not require any owner to get an inspection for leadbased paint or to control any lead-based paint

hazards. Instead, it makes available the information needed by consumers to make rational

choices, and relies on informed consumers and

private market forces to help reduce childhood

lead poisoning.

Disclosure Rule,

continued from page 4

HUD Addresses the Exposure

Hazard From Lead in Imported

Miniblinds
The Lead Post, 10

September 16-17, 1996

Lead Northeast 96

Newark, New Jersey

Contact: Kim Levi

(301) 924-0804

September 27, 1996

Lead Prevent 96

New York City

Department of Health

New York, New York

Contact: Ernesto Hinojos

(212) 442-1821

October 7-9, 1996

Lead Tech 96

IAQ Publications

Washington, D.C.

Contact: Jane Forsythe

(301) 913-0115

October 17-18, 1996

Protecting Children from

Environmental Hazards

Penn State

Contact: Gina Chorober

(814) 865-7679

Calendar

of

Events
The Lead Post, 11

The Office has drafted a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), for research to improve the evaluation and control of residential lead-based paint hazards. The NOFA will likely be published in the Federal Register in October or November, 1996. HUD

anticipates awarding approximately $2.5 million on

a competitive basis as research grants or cooperative agreements. The research findings will be

used to update the HUD Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in

Housing, and are expected to increase the efficacy

and cost-effectiveness of residential lead hazard

evaluation and control.

The Lead Post

NOTICE

The Lead Post has been developed as part of the community outreach program for the HUD Office of Lead Hazard Control. The goal

in developing this publication is to create a medium for facilitating

communication between HUD grantees, as well as local, state and

Federal entities involved in lead-based paint activities. In addition,

this publication combined with the Web site will create an additional

level of resources available to the public regarding this most important issue. We hope you find The Lead Post to be informative and

we encourage your input.
The Lead Post, 12

This issue of the Lead Post also contains stories on other HUD initiatives. Together with

EPA, we have created a notification system

that ensures parents get the dwelling-specific

information they need to protect their children.

We are consolidating and streamlining our

existing lead paint regulations. And we have

a new Internet web site serving the public,

grantees, and lead hazard control industry professionals.

But most of all, this newsletter is about the

future--about the millions of children who will

not be poisoned by lead hazards in their

homes because of the actions we take today

and in the years ahead.

Director,

continued from page 2

Secondly, shortly after the LAP began to do

hazard abatement activities, a Citizen’s Advisory Group (CAG) was formed to open dialogue and initiate feedback on policies, procedures and public opinion. Since that time,

the CAG has evolved into a rich source of referral information.

The LAP also aims to achieve community development objectives while meeting lead

abatement needs. As part of its community

development mandate, the LAP encourages

home ownership by helping residents secure

mortgages, loans, and refinancing. In one

case, a prospective home owner with 3 toddlers was assisted with a home purchase by

having the grant count toward equity in the

mortgage negotiation.

In 1991, the Centers for Disease Control

showed that 1.7 million children have too much

lead in their bodies.

This past year, HUD showed that we could

save $1 billion/year by controlling lead hazards in the federally-assisted housing stock

alone. By working together in new partnerships--with local and state governments, with

non-profit organizations, with trade associations, with industry professionals, and with

parents, we can sustain the affordability of the

64 million homes with lead-based paint. And

together we can move toward a lead-safe environment for all of America’s children.

Because of community outreach and education efforts by the LAP, owner/occupants are

now able to include LAP funds as part of mortgage qualifications.

An owner’s contribution to lead abatement can

now be underwritten which is an important step

toward including lead hazard control work into

normal housing transactions.

These are just a few of the things that the

Manchester, Connecticut LAP is doing with the

grant they received from the Lead-Based Paint

Hazard Control Grant Program. Hopefully,

their efforts will bring us a step closer to achieving a lead-safe environment for America’s children.

Grantee,

continued from page 3