Lead Poisoning

A Preventable Health Problem

What is Hartford doing about lead poisoning?

Why is Hartford at risk?

While all racial, ethnic, and economic groups are at risk of lead poisoning, the problem is particularly prevalent among minority, urban, and low-income families. According to 1990 U.S. Census data, Hartford ranks first in Connecticut for the following lead-poisoning risk factors:

• The greatest number of children under six years of age (14,245)
• The highest percentage of children living in poverty
• The highest percentage of at-risk housing (91% built before 1978, and 52% built before 1950)

Hartford's Population

• 34% of the city's residents are under age 17.
• 38% of the population is Hispanic, 37% is African American, 22% is White (non-Hispanic).

Poverty and Unemployment

In 1990 Hartford was the nation's 8th poorest city with a population over 100,000. Its poverty rate was nearly 28% (compared with 7% statewide).

In terms of poverty, income, employment, and education, Hartford had the greatest disparity with its suburban neighbors of any U.S. city.

In 1997 Hartford had more than 10% unemployment, while the State of Connecticut had only 5% unemployment. In the past thirty years, Hartford has lost about one-third of its manufacturing jobs.

As a measure of its poverty, Hartford has the largest Women's, Infants, and Children's program, a federal food subsidy program, in the state, with more than 11,000 clients. Some 67% of all Hartford children under the age of 5 are enrolled in WIC.

Property owners are often younger than 35 years old or older than 55 years old. At both ends of the age spectrum, this population often has smaller financial or physical ability to maintain their homes.

Old Housing Stock

The city has approximately 56,000 housing units, including many substandard and vacant units. A typical dwelling in Hartford is a three-family house. It may have very little green space around it, and may date from around 1920. These houses often feature many windows and porches, which are commonly covered with lead-based paint. Typically, the exterior was last painted in 1975 (before the ban on lead-based paint in residences); the interior was last painted in 1980 (just after the ban). Many of the housing units suffer from problems of deferred maintenance, including deteriorating lead-based paint. Many landlords can no longer afford to maintain their buildings, and more than 600 buildings have been abandoned. Hartford ranks last in the state for percentage of owner-occupied dwellings, with 21% of Hartford's dwellings owner-occupied.

How many Hartford children have been lead poisoned?

Although Hartford ranks first in the state in terms of risk factors, the city ranked third in the state in the number of cases of confirmed lead poisoning in 1999.

• Verifying lead levels
• Assessing general health, development, behavior, environment, and life style issues related to lead poisoning
• Helping to find the sources of lead: in cooperation with the Hartford Health Department, ensuring that homes are inspected and corrective measures are undertaken when necessary
• Providing in-home education
• Providing medical and social service follow-up

The center holds weekly lead clinics for children with elevated blood lead levels at both Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center and the Connecticut Children's Medical Center.

Lead-Safe House

Effie Barnes, administrative director, at Lead-Safe House

115-117 Sigourney Street Hartford, CT 06105 (860) 525-2574 Once children have been lead poisoned, they must be removed from the environment that contains lead. Permanent lead-safe housing is not always immediately available and affordable. To provide temporary lead-safe housing to families of children with high lead levels while these children are being treated for lead poisoning, the center also operates the Lead Safe House, which offers five apartments in two buildings. Lead-Safe House is located near the Connecticut Children's Medical Center and Saint Francis Hospital, on city bus lines, and near a pharmacy. Families may remain there for up to ninety days. Housing is available to residents of Hartford and surrounding towns. Established with additional support from the Aetna Insurance Company, Lead-Safe House now operates with public funding. It has sheltered more than 100 families.

What Is Hartford doing to prevent lead poisoning?

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The Hartford Health Department's Lead Poisoning Prevention and Education Program

The Hartford Health Department has developed a comprehensive lead poisoning program that focuses on primary prevention (acting before people are poisoned) and education. This program

Analyzes and assesses children's exposure to lead Develops community partnerships for prevention and education Implements public awareness and education campaigns for Parents and guardians Children Teachers Daycare providers Healthcare providers Property owners Public officials Manages an abatement program, supported by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to reduce hazards in housing Supports increased enforcement through Housing Court Where necessary, secures demolition of pre-1940 housing

For additional information, contact Andrea Comer, Project Manager, (860) 543-8800, Hartford Health Department, 131 Coventry Street, Hartford, CT 06112.

Lead hazard abatement

The City of Hartford has received a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to conduct lead hazard abatement activities. By January 2001, the city had made some 150 housing units lead-safe under this program.

Grants and loans for lead abatement

Home Solutions, a new program funded by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development and administered by the Community Renewal Team (CRT), offers help with lead and asbestos abatement for residential owner-occupied and rental properties. The properties may be single-family or multifamily dwellings.

• Grants are available for properties occupied by low-income and moderate-income residents.
• No-interest and low-interest loans are available for properties occupied by all other residents.
• Funding may be used to abate vacant units. For vacant units, the property owner's income will be used to determine if the money is given as a grant-in-aid or a loan.
• Funding ranges from $1,000 to $15,000 per dwelling unit.
• Special priority may be given to homes occupied by children under the age of six years who have elevated blood lead levels.

For further information, call toll free: 877-254-6601.

Screening

In 1998 Hartford ranked first in the state in the percentage of children screened for lead poisoning.

Source: U.S. Census (1990), Connecticut Department of Public Health, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program

A 1998 pilot study showed that Hartford screened more than 93% of its children who were covered by Medicaid. In 1999 Hartford screened about two-thirds of its one-year-old and two-year-old children.

The key messages for children are:

• Look out for lead paint dangers.
• If you see such dangers, tell an adult, who should clean up the lead hazards with a damp, soapy rag.
• Keep away from lead paint dust and paint flakes.
• Wash your hands and face before you eat and after you play.
• Leave your shoes at the door, and wear socks or slippers inside the house.
• Eat healthy foods.

The curriculum includes

• An activity book for children
• A teachers' guide
• Information for parents or guardians

It was developed by faculty and staff at the University's Cooperative Extension System, Environmental Research Institute, and School of Family Studies. All materials are available in English and Spanish.

o Poster contests

Each year the Hartford Health Department sponsors a lead-safety drawing contest for children between the ages of three and twelve. This artwork is published in calendars and has been displayed at various sites in the city.

• Lead Awareness Training for Daycare Providers

  The Hartford Health Department and the University of Connecticut's Cooperative Extension System have presented a lead poisoning awareness educational program to daycare providers.

• Such providers are often strong advocates for children and families and help to pass along information to parents and guardians.
• Many providers are also located in at-risk housing and are watching increasing numbers of children for longer periods of time.
• This program has reached more than 100 daycare providers from 35 Hartford sites. Together, these providers care for nearly 5000 city children.

All materials are available in Spanish and English.

• Keep It Clean Campaign

  The Hartford Health Department has participated in the Connecticut Department of Public Health's educational outreach program for hardware and paint stores. The campaign educates store staff, homeowners, and other do-it-yourselfers in lead-safe ways to conduct home repair and renovation. For stores that have participated in this program, click here.

• Other Public Awareness Initiatives
  • The Hartford Health Department partnered with Guida's Dairies to publish a lead awareness message that appeared on one million milk cartons in May 2000. The message was distributed throughout Connecticut and in parts of New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
  • Educational messages were also published in the Hartford Courant, in ethnic newspapers, on municipal busses, and on billboards around the city
  • A Health Department video, A Perfect Partnership: Lead Poisoning Prevention, has aired on Public Access TV and has been distributed to Hartford public libraries.

Enforcement

In a typical year, some forty to sixty properties containing lead-related housing code violations are prosecuted in Connecticut's Housing Court. On average, 30% of these properties are brought back into compliance with the housing code.

Since 1996, the Hartford Health Department has worked with the Housing Court to improve enforcement efforts.

• Property owners were placed on notice that lead regulations would be strictly enforced.
• More lead abatement/management plans were developed.
• Property owners performed more work.
• The city provided assistance in keeping units vacant and allowed time for abatement activities.
• Monitoring was improved.
• Property owners were educated about lead poisoning.

What remains to be done?

• More children need to be screened.
• City residents—including children, parents or guardians, teachers, property owners, and policy makers—need to learn more about lead poisoning.
• Contaminated properties need to be identified and abated or taken down. Some current proposals include:
  • Changes in city ordinances to require housing inspectors to check for lead-based paint when they respond to any complaint from a tenant (such as no heat). The city would notify landlords of lead hazards and provide training to tenants in lead poisoning prevention
  • Changes in state laws to provide funding for landlords who perform lead abatement in housing where low-income children with blood lead levels of 10-19µg/dL live.
• Affordable, lead-safe housing needs to be made available.