Report: Effort underway to limit lead exposure ills
Gaining support in at-risk communities and creating partnerships among government agencies and nonprofits are among the recommendations released Tuesday by the Allegheny County Lead Task Force to rid homes of lead hazards and protect the public’s health.
The report focuses on controlling sources of lead, monitoring and reporting exposure, investigating hazards and educating the public.
“This is a report we’re very proud of,” said Dr. Karen Hacker, county health director and head of the nine-member task force.
Members spoke to 20 experts from around the country and parents with children affected by lead exposure and reviewed reports and research on the public health issue, primarily a threat to young children and women who are pregnant.
“The good news is we’ve made major improvements, but there’s still work to be done,”Dr. Hacker said.
Efforts already are underway to monitor blood-lead levels in the county’s children through universal testing (to start in January), and housing inspection and remediation resources have been made available to the public. Dr. Hacker said shortterm and long-term strategies might mirror those found elsewhere, such as Rochester, N.Y., another Rust Belt city. It has, for example, conducted inspections for lead-safe certification in more than 141,000 properties to prevent children from being exposed to lead before it can cause permanent cognitive and behavioralproblems.
Similar inspection and lead-safe certification laws might be implemented in the county’s 130 municipalities, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said, adding it’s not clear what new laws might be initiated by the county.
“We’ll find out from our law department where our authoritylies,” he said. Other actions to follow the task force’s 24 recommendations might involve economic development and human services agencies and other countyresources, he said.
The task force found there may already be some provisions in municipal codes that pave the way for inspecting the old housing stock in the region that still retains leadbased paint.
Former City Councilman Patrick Dowd, a member of the task force, said there are about40 municipalities in the county that have ordinances related to rental units.
“We can see what’s working, what’s not,” Mr. Dowd said. “It’s in our common interest to solve this problem. The leadership in the county canwork collaboratively.”
Increasing the amount of lead-freehousing will require many partners, Mr. Fitzgerald said. The county has asked the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics to aidin the county’s next step.
“We asked them to consider helping develop a strategy of lead-safe and lead-free housing,” he said. He asked that the task force continue forat least another year.
Dr. Hacker said in addition to municipal inspections and certifications, the task force recommended reconvening a county-led advisory committee to raise public awarenessand advocacy.
Educating health care providers and the community is also a high priority, Dr. Hacker said. A troubling obstacle to serving children found with elevated blood lead levels, she added, is a reluctance by some families to allow home inspections and remediation. That’s despite the fact that funds are available to do the work for free. Many families move before health officials are able to contact them, she said. Getting support from community volunteers to get the word out about lead hazards and services available to eliminate them is needed.
“We want to focus on communities that need us most,” she said. Many city neighborhoods and nearby towns have been identified as being higher risk — using factors such as children under 5 years old, children found with elevated blood lead levels, houses built before 1950 and the poverty rate.
Dr. Hacker praised the full replacement of Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority lead water lines. “All efforts are moving forward and continuing.”