Cuyahoga County gets $4.5 million to curb lead in homes

[Guest guest]

Cuyahoga County gets $4.5 million to curb lead in homes

Published: Thursday, January 27, 2011, 5:00 PM Updated: Thursday, January

27, 2011, 5:57 PM

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/01/cuyahoga_county_gets_45_millio.html

Cuyahoga County is getting an infusion of money to help clean up homes and, in

turn, dramatically reduce the number of children with lead poisoning.

The county's board of health is getting a three-year, $4.5 million grant from

the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The bulk of the money will

be used to clean up lead and other health hazards in 45 owner-occupied houses in

Cleveland and 300 owner-occupied houses in several first-ring suburbs, county

officials said. The rest will be used to increase public awareness about

childhood lead poisoning and train workers in lead-safety methods.

Several local agencies and organizations, including Environmental Health Watch

and the Cuyahoga County Department of Development, will help with identifying

families and coordinating the clean-up.

Related story:

Cleveland-area lead poisoning rates down; still above national level

HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims is traveling to Cleveland on Friday not only to

present the grant to Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald but also to

formally announce the nearly $127 million HUD will spend for the communities

nationwide with the highest rates of lead poisoning.

Cuyahoga County and the city of Cincinnati received the largest of six grants

awarded in Ohio. The city of Lorain is getting $2.1 million.

The effort to eradicate lead poisoning received a major push back in 2000 with

the creation of HUD's Healthy Homes Initiative. The program's first grant went

to Cuyahoga County's Urban Mold and Moisture Program, whose primary focus was

moisture- and mold-related illnesses such as asthma and lead poisoning.

By then, local efforts to eliminate childhood lead poisoning and other home

dangers had already been under way for more than a decade.

Lead levels in children

A measurement of 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood is what the U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared the " level of concern "

to be for lead poisoning. In recent years, local public health officials have

lowered that threshold to 5 micrograms of lead in children under age 6.

•Cuyahoga County -- Dropped from 24.2 percent in 1997 to 4.6 percent in 2009

with levels over 10 micrograms; 2009: 16.5 percent with levels over 5

micrograms.

•Cleveland -- 2009: 6.1 percent of children who tested positive for lead had

levels over 10 micrograms; 21.4 percent with levels over 5 micrograms.

•East Cleveland -- 2009: 11.2 percent with levels over 10; 32.3 percent with

levels over 5 micrograms.

Source: Cuyahoga County Board of Health

In 2004 the St. Luke's Foundation contributed $1.6 million toward a

collaborative effort among public and private agencies to raise awareness about

lead poisoning and prevention efforts.

" There has been a lot of success in driving down [lead poisoning] rates in this

community, " said Cuyahoga County Health Commissioner Terry Allan. " We often

don't take enough credit for ourselves, but I think there has been some

remarkable progress. "

People are typically at risk of lead exposure when paint or other materials

containing lead cracks and chips over time or during home renovations, getting

into the air or dirt.

Children are especially at risk when living in older homes with lead paint. That

exposure is known to contribute to learning disabilities, neurobehavioral

impairments and other developmental deficiencies.

HUD fell short of its goal to eliminate childhood lead poisoning in the United

States by 2010. Even so, the national average of children under age 6 with lead

poisoning has fallen to just below 2 percent.

Cuyahoga County also has improved, but " we're still above the national average, "

Allan said.

" From the time we got our first grant [in 2000, until now], we've reduced the

percentage of children with lead poisoning by 14 percent, " said Sobolewski,

supervisor of the county's Healthy Homes Initiative.

Low-income families with children under age 6 will be considered first for the

home clean-up, which will begin selection in mid-March. Families whose children

have not already been screened for lead poisoning should contact their primary

care physician. It is a federal and state law that all children who are on

Medicaid and/or who live in a high-risk zip code be tested. The Ohio Department

of Health has a listing of high risk zip codes.

Cleveland residents should call 216-664-2175 for information. Families living

outside the city should call the Cuyahoga County Board of Health at

216-201-2000.

Related topics: cuyahoga county board of health; lead poisoning; HUD