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Photo courtesy John Winters

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Getting the Lead Out — Of our Kids!

Museum, you and your family enjoy the joyous, learning environment that abounds in the Museum. But beyond the parking lots is a neighborhood that is learning but in a different way. And joy is not often a part of the process.

The Marion County Health Department has identified it as a priority area for children at risk from lead poisoning - primarily from lead-based paint. More than half of the children tested in the neighborhood have elevated blood lead levels. These levels can impair a child’s ability to learn and can lead to violent tendencies.

Marion County has chosen to take a strong approach to lead-based paint. With resources and an ordinance in place, it is making a difference. And with 20% of the children in the county that were tested having elevated blood lead levels, the effort is needed. IKE applauds the department’s leadership of Dr. Caine and Dave McCormick!

We need to learn from Marion County’s experience and expand on it. Voluntary education efforts have made significant strides and are critical parts of a comprehensive program. Most health departments lack the resources and authorities to make it work..

We also need to have Indiana’s Departments of Environmental Management and of Health expand their work and their support for local efforts. Unfortunately, the agency’s authority is extremely limited. It needs to be strengthened.

Indiana’s new lead-based paint abatement licensing program is a toothless tiger that mirrors federal minimum standards. It is more akin to a professional licensing program than an environmental protection program. Under the rules, a landlord can contract for the removal of lead-based paint using dangerous work practices (such as sanding or burning the paint) on child-occupied housing as long as he does not intend to permanently eliminate the lead-based paint hazards and does not receive federal or state housing support. Yes, tort liability provides a limit. But are courts the best way to address the problem? Keep in mind that most homes built before 1978 have lead-based paint.

The two groups most at risk are:

  • Tenants living in housing built before 1978, especially duplexes with a landlord unfamiliar with the hazards of lead or unwilling to address them.
  • Homeowners renovating their home, especially the nursery. They may be oblivious to the risk when their children are most at risk because they are not informed of the hazard by their paint supplier.

IKE wants the Indiana General Assembly to adopt legislation that:

  • Require paint suppliers and painting contractors to notify all renovation customers of hazards of lead-based paint and steps to take to reduce exposures.
  • Prohibit painting contractors and landlord from using hazardous work practices unless they have evidence that paint does not contain lead.
  • Direct landlords to make additional maintenance efforts to protect tenants in child occupied housing.

What can you do?

  • Get involved in developing and promoting legislation to give the state agencies the authority they need.
  • Go shopping – to your local paint store on behalf of IKE. We need to identify trends in the guidance they provide.
  • Identify contacts to build a consensus for the legislation. IKE needs help reaching concerned parties that may be affected by the legislation.