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47,000 homes
in Lansing could have high lead levels
Local agencies say assessments, testing is key
by Tracy Burton, Lansing State Journal, February 10, 2003
For more articles visit
www.bridges4kids.org.
More than three-fourths of Lansing's homes might contain
lead-based paint, an invisible danger that can put children at
risk for violent behaviors, a loss in IQ and developmental
delays.
About 47,000 of the city's some 53,000 homes were built before
1979 - one year after lead paint was banned for residential
use, according to U.S. Census data.
Many of the homes are rental properties and low-income homes
in central and north Lansing.
"Literally thousands of houses in Lansing are at risk for
poisoning a child," said Lynn Hermann, Ingham County Health
Department lead specialist.
An estimated 1.1 million Michigan homes could still have
potentially dangerous levels of lead paint.
Children are exposed to lead from peeling paint or lead dust
in older homes. The dust settles on floors, window sills and
other surfaces, including in soil.
Health officials say awareness and more funding would solve
the problem, but the dollars don't stretch as long as the
waiting lists.
The city of Lansing offers free lead assessments through its
Community Development Block Grant Program. But the wait is a
year and a half, housing services coordinator Dennis
Lysakowski said.
Because of federal regulations, abatements, which clear the
home of lead, are done by the city only if they exceed $25,000
in repairs, or if a child in the home has elevated lead
levels.
County residents wanting home assessments from the Health
Department have a wait of one week to two months. The wait for
an abatement is almost a year.
About 30 homes in Ingham County were abated in 2002 through a
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant and
Clean Michigan Initiative dollars. About 20 families are on
the waiting list.
Lead exposure can be reduced while waiting for an abatement by
covering the affected area with furniture, duct tape or
contact paper.
The average cost for a home abatement is $6,000. Certified
lead contractors replace vinyl siding, windows, floors or
whatever it takes to remove the lead.
Michigan received a three-year, $2.5 million grant from HUD in
2000 and $5 million from Clean Michigan Initiative for lead
rehabilitation programs in 2000.
The amount of money each county receives is based on the need,
said Geralyn Lasher, a Michigan Department of Community Health
spokeswoman. Clean Michigan Initiative dollars can be used
only if a child living in the home has tested positive for
lead poisoning.
Lead tests are available at area health departments and some
health insurances cover the cost.
Medicaid recipients are required to have the tests, but there
are no penalties to enforce the testing.
In 2002, only 11 percent of Ingham County children under 6
received lead tests. Thirty were identified as poisoned by
lead, mostly between the ages of
18 and 24 months, Hermann said.
"There could easily be 200 kids in the Lansing area that could
be poisoned each year and just don't know about it," she said.
"Their health is at risk and their ability to succeed in
school is at risk."
Because symptoms are minimal, it's nearly impossible to tell
if a child has lead poisoning without a blood test.
Repeated lead exposure could affect the brain and the nervous
system, said Christopher Lawler, an emergency doctor at
Sparrow Hospital and Ingham Regional Medical Center.
"The longer that it's in the system the more likely it's going
to cause damage," he said.
Once the exposure stops, lead will filter out of the body, but
it needs to be detected early. Health officials say children
at risk should be tested at age 1 and again at 2.
Last year, Josh and Sarah Presley had their 1949 home in
northwest Lansing tested for lead. In their son Orris' room
alone, the lead concentration was 26,000 parts per million. A
safe level is 400.
After having a blood test, Orris didn't have elevated lead
levels, and his parents believe it was because he was tested
early and the lead was found before he began crawling. Orris,
now 2 years old, was born with Down syndrome.
"He already has a learning disability, so his potential
would've been a lot less if he would've been more disabled
(because of lead poisoning)," said Josh Presley, Orris'
father.
The Presleys' home was abated through the Ingham County lead
prevention program in January.
"It's just such a blessing," he said. "This is something that
we would not have been able to do."
Contact Tracy Burton at 377-1206 or
tburton@lsj.com.
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