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Indiana Lead-Safe & Healthy Homes Newsletter
August 2008
Improving Kids’ Environment (IKE) and the Indiana Lead-Safe Task Force publish this newsletter every several months at no charge for anyone interested in issues and
events involving lead poisoning prevention and healthy homes in Indiana. Distribution is by email or fax. Contact Janet McCabe at mccabe@ikecoalition.org or
317-902-3610 if you want to edit the draft newsletter, have an article to contribute, or want to get on or off the distribution list. All editions are available on IKE’s
web page at http://www.ikecoalition.org/publications.htm.
Information about the 2008 Indiana Lead Safe and Healthy Homes Conference
on Nov. 5 & 6 is now available at
www.ikecoalition.org/Lead_Conf_2008/Conf_Preview_2008.htm
Early Bird Registration deadline is October 6, 2008
IKE and neighborhood group to receive grant to assess neighborhood environmental health risks
The USEPA has chosen IKE and the Martindale Brightwood Environmental Justice Collaborative, a community-based organization in central
Indianapolis, to receive a Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) grant. The two year grant, for just under $100,000, will
allow the community to develop information on environmental risks and prioritize those issues for further study, remediation or other action.
IKE Website Receives Needed Update
Thanks to the efforts of IKE Board member Indra Frank, the IKE website is being systematically reviewed and updated. Out of date
information is being removed or archived. A new format for each substantive area with Background, IKE’s Current Efforts, IKE’s Past
Accomplishments, and Additional Links should make it easier to find information more easily. Check out the mercury page
(www.ikecoalition.org/Mercury/index.htm) and let us know how you like it.
IKE Director Appointed to Indianapolis Air Pollution Control Board
Janet McCabe has been appointed to the Indianapolis Air Pollution Control Board, a nine member citizen board that assists the
Indianapolis Office of Environmental Services with activities and rulemaking, to protect and improve the air quality for the City
of Indianapolis and Marion County. Janet is filling the spot designated for a person with experience in environmental health issues.
The Board meets monthly and may be seen regularly (and endlessly) at or about 2:30 AM on Indianapolis Channel 16. More information at www.indygov.org/eGov/City/DPW/Environment/AirQuality/AirBoard/home.htm.
USEPA Finalizes Renovation Rule and Issues Two New Pamphlets
On March 31. 2008, USEPA issued the Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, which will require contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 to be certified and to follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. Although not perfect, this rule will protect many children from lead hazards that can be created during renovation activities. More information is at www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm. The Sierra Club, the National Home Builders Association and The New York City Coalition to End Lead Poisoning have challenged the rule, raising concerns about the lack of a lab analyzed clearance test and exclusion of certain owner-occupied housing and commercial and public buildings, among other issues. Contact Tom Neltner at Neltner@ikecoalition.org for more information about the lawsuit.
The USEPA recently released two helpful pamphlets:
· “Small Entity Compliance Guide to Right Renovation,” a handbook for contractors, property managers, and maintenance personnel working in homes, childcare facilities, and schools built before 1978, which summarizes the requirements of the new rule. See www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/sbcomplianceguide.pdf.
· “Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools,” geared to persons affected by work that disturbs lead-based paint. See www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovaterightbrochure.pdf
The Indiana State Department of Health will be writing rules so that Indiana can implement the renovation program on behalf of USEPA.
Bill Limiting Lead in Toys, Empowering Consumer Protection Agency, Becomes Law
H.R. 4040, a major bill that reforms and strengthens the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was signed into law in early August. Among other things, the legislation bans lead from children’s products, directs CPSC to set up a product hazards database and increases its budget, and bans certain phthalates in children's toys. More information on the law is available at www.afhh.org/.
CPSC Study on Synthetic Turf Finds Lead But No Risk
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a study on lead and lead risk from artificial turf. www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/foia08/os/turfassessment.pdf. The study concludes that although there is lead in some types of artificial turf that may become accessible to kids, it is not enough to create a risk of an elevated blood lead level. Some lead experts have expressed concerns, however, because the study does not consider levels below 10 µg/dL nor the effects on children with higher than a 3 µg/dL background blood lead level. We have to ask—why are we talking about lead in artificial turf anyway??
Back Home in Indiana
Medicaid
This is big news. Effective August 1, 2008, the Indiana Health Coverage Programs (IHCP) will begin reimbursing local health departments who are registered Medicaid providers for initial and follow-up environmental lead investigations and for lead case management activities. Lack of reimbursement has been a real barrier to local health departments being able to provide these services to poor children. Even better, the approval is retroactive for services that have been provided on or after August 1, 2005. Kudos to ISDH and the Office of Medicaid for working through the process to make this possible. For more information or questions, contact Dave McCormick at 317-233-1293 or dmmcormick@isdh.in.gov.
First Meeting of New Lead-Safe Housing Advisory Council
Senate Enrolled Act 143 (2008) directed ISDH to establish the Indiana Lead-Safe Housing Advisory Council to make recommendations on how to address comprehensively and proactively the risk of lead poisoning that older housing poses to young children. The Council had its first meeting in June and has an aggressive timeframe: preliminary recommendations are due to the General Assembly by Nov. 1, 2008 and a final report by Nov. 1, 2009. IKE will post minutes and other key documents about the Council and other actions to implement SEA 143 at www.ikecoalition.org/SEA143/index.htm.
Scholarship Assistance Available for Lead-Based Paint Training
If you or your staff need lead paint training (risk assessor or inspector), available from the Environmental Management Institute in October, you may be eligible for scholarship assistance from ISDH. Contact Jeff Turner at jturner@isdh.state.in.us or (317) 233-1250.
Indiana Agencies Upgrade Website
State agencies including the Indiana State Department of Health and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management have recently made significant changes to their websites. The new changes were designed to make it easier for users to find desired information. However, some initial confusion may be experienced by those who are unfamiliar with the layout of the new site. Webpages are now identified by number rather than a descriptive title. It can be difficult to find pages and some information appears to have been removed or become inaccessible. If you frequent the Indiana website, it would be worthwhile to get familiar with the new design. If you have links to state agency webpages on your own website or bookmarked pages, many of those will need to be updated. Broken links on the IDEM website should be reported to IDEM at info@idem.in.gov. Problems with the Lead and Healthy Homes program pages on the ISDH website should be reported to Carol Thacker at cathacker@isdh.in.gov.
News from the ISDH Lead and Healthy Homes Program
New Staff: Carol Thacker, with a background in childcare and Medicaid, has joined ISDH as the new lead health educator. You can reach her at cathacker@isdh.in.gov and 317-233-1290. The program’s Regional Field staff is now complete with Tony Moore (formerly of the East Chicago Health Department) covering the northern third of the state; Buddy Compton the central counties and Judy Gilliland the southern third. These staff provide mentoring, assistance and oversight to lead risk assessors and inspectors and abatement activities. A map showing their coverage and that of the two Case Managers (Gerri Anderson and Teresa Kirby) is available at http://www.ikecoalition.org/Lead/ISDH_Regional_Map_2008.pdf.
ISDH Guide to New Web Pages: Thanks to ISDH for providing the following directions to the new Lead and Healthy Homes webpages:
· Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) www.in.gov/isdh/
- From the ISDH Home Page, click on “Health Information by Topic A-Z”, then from that list click on “Lead and Healthy Homes”
· Lead and Healthy Homes Program (Main Page) www.in.gov/isdh/19124.htm
· Lead-Based Paint Program www.in.gov/isdh/19131.htm
- including Lead Licensing information, Abatement Notification, and links to all LBP related forms
· Supply Order Forms www.in.gov/isdh/19144.htm
Lead Poisoning Information Available: ISDH has posted information about numbers of children tested, numbers of children with confirmed elevated blood lead levels, and past legislative reports (see www.in.gov/isdh/19140.htm) and numbers of children by county (see www.in.gov/isdh/19141.htm). It’s great to have this information so readily available.
Need a Contractor with Lead Safe Training?
Check the IKE website for a contractor in your area: www.ikecoalition.org/Lead/LSWP_Table.htm. This is the only source we know of for such a listing. Here is feedback we received from one homeowner who went to great lengths to find a trained contractor:
I am so grateful to you for finding this list for us because otherwise I think we would never have found anyone that could do all of the different work we wanted and also had the certification. We called almost everyone on this list and …only [one] person … called us back …. When I first called him, he was baffled about how I got his number without being under an abatement order but I eventually convinced him I'm just a conscientious homeowner looking for his expertise. Anyway, after a few weeks of discussions with him, his crew is currently working at our house. It looks like a space castle with all the plastic "bubbles" and curtains they have created everywhere. It's amazing. He has mentioned more than once that he dislikes working for "Joe Homeowner" and prefers his government work because he has had trouble getting paid by homeowners. I told him I thought there would be a demand for his services if he was interested but he said he isn't. That said, we're very glad he took a chance and agreed to work with us because he's very nice and very knowledgeable and we like him.
After the work was completed, this homeowner commented that followup with the contractor has been difficult, and she advises that homeowners ask for copies of training certificates and licenses BEFORE the work is paid for!
Asthma News
The Indiana State Department of Health Asthma Program has collaborated with Indianapolis Woman to produce an excellent 16-page insert on asthma in the magazine’s August issue. What a great way to get the word out about the burdens of asthma and how it can be managed. IW and ISDH focus on one health topic each month. All the inserts can be viewed at http://indianapoliswoman.com/healthwise.asp.
The ISDH Asthma Program has received an $80,000 grant from USEPA to address asthma and environmental tobacco smoke (the Northeast IN Community Environmental Health Initiative). ISDH will work with 18 counties in northeast Indiana in to identify and manage indoor environmental asthma triggers for families of children with asthma and implementation of the Essentials for Healthy Homes Practitioners Course with the help of the Marion County Health Department. This course is available from the National Center for Healthy Housing. For more information, contact Marcie Memmer at mmemmer@isdh.in.gov.
The Indiana Joint Asthma Coalition (INJAC) provides information about asthma resources, training opportunities, and other programs through regular updates. See the latest at www.ikecoalition.org/Air%20Quality%20-%20General/index.htm.
Check out this site for information on toy safety: www.kindersafe.org/kindersafe
Events and Conferences
Balanced Transportation for Healthier Communities (September 8)
Health By Design presents its annual conference on Monday, September 8. This year’s highlights are: Mass Transit – Three Cities’ Experiences, Changing Street Design Through Complete Streets, and Economic Burden of Physical Inactivity. Contact Kim Irwin for more information, kirwin@acsm.org or go to
www.healthbydesignonline.org/documents/SaveTheDate2008WEB35_000.pdf
Become a Master Home Environmentalist (September 13)
The American Lung Association of Indiana will present its Master Home Environmentalist training on September 13, from 1 – 5 pm in Indianapolis. This four-hour program will train you to identify environmental hazards in homes and give you tools and tips for making homes healthier and more chemical-free. The training is hosted by the Indianapolis Peace Institute and will be held at 1421 N. Central, Indianapolis. This program (including an afternoon snack) is offered at no cost, and in turn, we request that you “pay it forward” and assess the homes of 4 neighbors, friends, or families. Space is limited. Please contact Kate Williams at williams@indianapolispeaceinstitute.org for information or to reserve a spot.
11th Annual Pollution Prevention Conference and Trade Show (September 17)
For the past eleven years, the Indiana Partners for Pollution Prevention (Partners) have sponsored a statewide pollution prevention conference and trade show. Conference topics have ranged from new and innovative pollution prevention technologies being used in Indiana to training on how pollution prevention can save facilities money. The conference also includes a trade show of over 20 exhibitors displaying their products and services to promote pollution prevention. The conference will be held September 17, 2008, at Primo's West in Plainfield, Indiana. Contact Cara Cyrus at (812) 273-6000 or by email at cara.cyrus@madchem.com, or see www.in.gov/idem/4451.htm.
Regional Air Quality Workshop (October 15-16)
This workshop is a good opportunity to receive up-to-date reports on federal and state regulatory activities and learn the latest information on air pollution in the Midwest. It will be October 15-16 at the O’Hare International Center Auditorium located at 10275 W. Higgins Road in Rosemont, IL. For more information, or to register, contact Sarah Haug at (847) 720-7880 or haug@ladco.org. There is no registration fee for this event, but registration is required for accurate headcount.
2008 Indiana Lead-Safe and Healthy Homes Conference (November 5-6)
The Indiana Lead Safe and Healthy Homes Task Force presents the annual conference on November 5-6, 2008. The conference’s focus is on healthy homes for Indiana children and families. Contact Lauren Stanisic for more information at 574-339-6625 or Stanisic@ikecoalition.org or go to www.ikecoalition.org/Lead_Conf_2008/Conf_Preview_2008.htm.
Second Indiana Environmental Health Summit (May 15, 2009)
The IU Medical School Center for Health and the Environment, IUPUI School of Public and Environmental Affairs, the Hoosier Environmental Council and IKE will host the second Indiana Environmental Health Summit on May 15, 2008. The conference will focus on Indiana water quality issues. More information coming soon.
Check the Alliance for Healthy Homes Calendar for upcoming conferences on Healthy Homes Issues: www.afhh.org/res/res_calendar.htm.
Meetings
Indiana Joint Asthma Coalition 2008 Meetings
All meetings are on the 8th floor of the ISDH building, 2 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis. Check www.in.gov/isdh/programs/asthma/index.htm for more information.
September 17, 9-11:30
December 11, 1:30-4
Indiana Lead Safe and Healthy Homes Task Force
Staff from local health departments, state agencies, and others who seek to improve environmental conditions for children in their homes meet quarterly to discuss issues, challenges and projects. Meetings are held at the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield facility at 2425 N. Meridian St., Suite A, Indianapolis, IN 46208. Remaining 2008 meetings will be:
August 21, 9:30 – 11:30
November 20, 9:30 – 11:30
Contact Janet McCabe at 317-902-3610 or mccabe@ikecoalition.org to confirm meeting dates or for the call-in number.
Training
o Accredited Lead Training at the Environmental Management Institute in Indy. Contact EMI at 800-488-8842 or www.envtlmgmt.org.
o Lead Abatement Worker Refresher – September 26
o Supervisor Lead-Based Paint Abatement & Contractor Lead-Based Paint Abatement – August 25-28
o Lead Inspector Training – October 6-8
o Lead Risk Assessor – October 9-10
o Lead-Based Paint Abatement in Target Housing or Child-Occupied Facilities Accreditation – October 15-16
o National Center for Healthy Housing Training. The NCHH maintains a list of upcoming trainings across the country. Find it at www.healthyhomestraining.org/upcoming.htm.
Thanks for improving kids' environment! If you have any questions or comments about this newsletter, IKE, or the Indiana Lead Safe and Healthy Homes Task Force, contact Janet . McCabe at mccabe@ikecoalition.org, 317-902-3610 or 3951 N. Meridian St., #160, Indianapolis, IN 46208. If you need more information on national events, check out the Alliance Alert Newsletter at www.afhh.org and click on newsletter. IKE publishes a newsletter on a regular basis that describes IKE’s efforts beyond healthy homes and lead hazard control. Contact IKE at Stanisic@ikecoalition.org if you want to subscribe to that newsletter.
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