10 lead hazardous properties reported in county

The Ohio Department of Health has released a list of all known lead hazard properties in the state and ordered the properties to be vacated.

Of the approximately 540 properties on the list, 10 include properties in Lorain County whose owners have refused to comply with an order from the Ohio Department of Health to correct the hazards, according to ODH media release.

Three homes in Elyria, Six homes in Lorain and one home in Wellington was on the state-compiled list.

As a result of not complying, ODH issued an order to vacate the properties because they contain known lead hazards and have been declared unsafe for human occupation, especially for children younger than 6 years old and pregnant women.

Greg Putka, lead program manager at the Lorain County General Health District, said of the 10 homes, five are occupied.

The Lorain County General Health District is doing everything it can to help people occupying the five homes.

“We are working with tenants and landlords to address the lead problems,” he said. “In addition, we are in cahoots with Erie County for a federal lead grant, which will help us to repair these properties.”

The protocol for ODH lets landlords request three extensions from the initial inspection to fix a lead problem, Putka said.

“Once an inspection is completed and there is lead determined, landlords can get three extensions to fix the problem,” he said. “If they fail to get it fixed after the three extensions, or we never hear back from them after initial inspection or any extension, a notice is ordered for them to be vacated.”

Although the county General Health District doesn’t place these families or individuals in homes, they do their best to help, Putka said.

“We can work with landlords to see if they have another place for the tenants to live until the problem is fixed. We don’t want them to not have anywhere to go,” he said.

No person should be living in the properties until the identified lead hazards have been corrected, the properties pass a clearance examination, and the lead hazard control order has been lifted by the Ohio Department of Health, the release said.