IKE Lead-Safe Indiana Task Force Newsletter

September 2002 Edition

Please let Tom Neltner at mccabe@ikecoalition.org (editor) know what you think of the newsletter, have ideas for articles, or have other comments.  If you really want hard copy, ask for a fax version or an emailed version in Word.  The Lead-Safe Indiana Task Force and IKE welcome your feedback! IKE also publishes Sewage in Our Streams Newsletter and a Hoosier Kids’ Environmental Health Newsletter.  Click here for a version in Word.

House Enrolled Act 1171 is new legislation unanimously adopted by the Indiana General Assembly in March 2002.  This law is bringing about many of the changes referred to below.  Click here for more details.

Mark Your Calendar!   

·         Thursday, September 12 - IKE Lead-Safe Indiana Task Force & ISDH Lead Advisory Task Force at the Environmental Management Institute on Indy’s Westside – 5610 Crawfordsville Road, Suite 15.  All are welcome!

·        10:00 to 12:00 IKE Task Force Meeting

·        12:00 to 1:15 2002 Conference Meeting

·        1:30 to 3:00 ISDH Lead Advisory Task Force

·         November 6 & 7 – 2002 Lead-Safe Indiana Conference on Nov 6 & 7 at Marriott East in Indy. 

Building Foundations:  Healthy Homes For Indiana Children – 2002 Lead-Safe Indiana Conference – Nov 6 & 7

At $125 for the first person and $95 for each additional person from your organization, it is the best deal going for a two-day conference that deals with the cutting edge issues surrounding lead poisoning prevention and healthy homes.   We just learned that John Hamilton – the Administrator of Indiana’s Family and Social Services – has agreed to speak on Thursday, Nov. 7.  At FSSA, Mr. Hamilton oversees Medicaid, Weatherization, Section 8 and other social and health services programs.  While he was Commissioner of IDEM from 1997 to 1999, he started the agency’s lead poisoning prevention program and its children’s initiative.  His speech should be outstanding.  For more information.

IDEM Mini-Grants for Education

In August, six organizations received $5,000 mini-grants from IDEM to provide lead poisoning prevention education efforts.  12 organizations applied for grants.  The funding came from an EPA grant.  The funds must be spent by September 30, 2002.  The grants required a $1000 local match.

The organizations are:

• St. Joseph Health Department

• Marion County Health Department

• Howard County Health Department

• Allen County Health Department

• Community Action of Greater Indianapolis

• Action, Inc. of Delaware and Grant Counties

Thanks to Tami Johnson for managing the grants on such a quick timeline.  Let’s hope that EPA makes funds available again next year.

Revising the Licensing Rules  

IKE and the Environmental Management Institute were the only people to comment to IDEM on potential changes to its lead licensing rules.  HEA-1171 requires that changes to the rules by July 1, 2002. 

IDEM plans to publish a draft rule for another round of comment on November 1.  Written comments will need to be submitted by the end of the month.  Then, IDEM will revise the draft rule and present it to the Air Pollution Control Board for preliminary adoption at a public hearing.  This public hearing will probably be held in January. 

We will dedicate a breakout session to discussing the rulemaking at the 2002 Conference.  IDEM’s Dave White and Suzanne Whitmer will be on hand to explain the process, the decisions made in preparing the draft rule, and to listen to ideas and concerns.  This session will not be the formal public meeting so written comments will still be required by Nov. 30.  For a copy of the notice in the Indiana Register click here.

Welcome!

•       Nicole Gaunt is the new case manager for Allen County Health Department.  It is a new position.

•       Jeri Taylor is the new lead poisoning manager for Vigo County Health Department!  She replaces Roseanne Douglas. 

•         Christine NaSalle is ISDH’s new data manager. 

•       Dr. Xun Shen is ISDH’s new epidemiologist.  He will be evaluating the state’s lead poisoning data as one of his primary – but not only – responsibilities.

Allen County Update

Using the $5000 mini-grant from IDEM to publish and distribute lead cleaning, nutrition and inspection pamphlets in Spanish, English and Burmese.  The materials include magnets in the shape of a house with a window cut-out at the top where you can put your kid's picture.  The magnet says "Keep me safe, Keep me smart.  I'm a super kid" and then it lists some of the key things to think about concerning lead.  These magnets and pamphlets were distributed at three major health fairs, one focusing on the Burmese population and one focusing on the Hispanic population.  Contact Amy Householder at amy.hesting@co.allen.in.us for more information.

St. Joe County Update

It's back to school for the "Get the Lead Out" Task Force! Two projects are now in full swing thanks to Kathleen Kraner and Dr. Joyce Carson.  First “Chemistry 333 - Chemistry in Service of Community” in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame, the City of South Bend, the Robinson Community Learning Center, Greentree Environmental, the South Bend Community School Corporation, South Bend Medical Foundation, and Memorial Hospital.  Students will work directly with health and environmental professionals to implement a neighborhood high intensity targeted lead screening program for children and homes providing education, low cost interventions, and information, resources, and assistance to the extent possible. The project incorporates lead and healthy homes initiatives as well as Hoosier Healthwise enrollment.  The project kicks off in the community on October 2 with a family night with pizza, and other 'goodies', Margaret Sauser, balloon animals, storytelling, the Healthworks Hummer, lead testing, and education.

In addition, the task force will educate, survey and test 983 children enrolled in Head Start. The project is a collaborative effort with the St. Joseph County Health Department, the Elkhart County Health Department, the South Bend Medical Foundation, Indiana University at South Bend, Memorial Hospital, and Head Start. The project will entail surveying and educating parents on lead issues, testing children who have not been tested, and collecting data in order to correlate children's lead levels with behavior in the classroom. All children involved will receive a backpack with the “Leadosaurus” logo on it.   

For more information contact Kathleen Kraner at (574) 472-1354 or kkraner@memorialsb.org.  

Marion County Update

Marion County Health Department has revised its consent forms for blood lead testing to comply with HEA-1171.  These new forms make it clear to parents that the blood lead testing information will be shared with other health agencies and  - to the extent needed to comply with the HUD rule - with housing agencies.  The form is a good template for others.   For more information contact Dave McCormick at 317-221-2171 or dmccormi@hhcorp.org.

Indiana Affordable Housing Conference and HUD Compliance

Can you fix deteriorated paint before signing the HUD paperwork in order to avoid the hassles associated of lead-safe work practices?  Yes, according to some realtors and landlords who ignore the dangers posed by the sloppy repair of deteriorated paint and get the repairs made without properly trained workers and without a clearance examination. 

Thanks to Mark Young of the Indiana Housing Finance Authority for putting the issue on the agenda at a breakout session of the Indiana Affordable Housing Conference on August 27.  Tom Neltner made the following points:

• For pre-1960 homes or child-occupied facilities, this practice may violate Indiana Code 13-17-14-12 which took effect on July 1, 2002.  Homeowners are exempt if they do the work with only their immediate family present and do not have a lead-poisoned child living in the home.

• For pre-1978 homes or child-occupied facilities, this practice may violate 40 CFR 745 Subpart E which requires disclosure where a person performs work for compensation.

• For pre-1978 homes or child-occupied facilities, this practice may violate 326 IAC 23.  Since the work may be designed to permanently eliminate lead-based paint hazards, the work may be considered abatement.  Except in limited circumstances, only a licensed abatement contractor can do the work. 

• This practice exposes the housing agency, property owner, and renovator to significant liability if a child is lead poisoned in the home, especially if the child is a guest.  Lead dust does not go away.  Neither does the liability.

Healthy Homes in Indy

Improving Kids Environment, the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis, and the Citizens Multi-Service Center have teamed up on a project to evaluate the environmental threats in homes on the Northeast side of Indianapolis.  Thanks to a grant from the Community Environmental Health Resource Center (CEHRC), the team is scoping out the hazards.  A youth group will work with adults to survey the neighborhood and conduct quantitative sampling of hazards such as lead, radon, cockroaches, and carbon monoxide.  Florence Alexander, January Jones, Tom Neltner and Margie Oakley are leading the effort. 

Mold Seminars

Mold has become a prominent issue throughout Indiana.  Legislation was introduced in the General Assembly and cleared one chamber.  Mold has been cited as a housing code violation in Marion County and Lake County.  ISDH has conducted mold sampling in a home.  Apartment buildings have been closed.  Families are threatened with losing their home.  Insurance companies have expressly excluded mold from their coverage.   Lots of questions with few answers!  Several seminars will be addressing the issue in various ways in the coming months:

• August 27 in Indianapolis – “Mold Informational Seminar” by the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce.  Two three-hour seminars were held that focused on the legal aspects.  Tom Neltner attended.  You can get information from him at mccabe@ikecoalition.org.

• September 25 and November 8 in Indianapolis – “Mold Awareness Course” by Dr. Jack Leonard and the Environmental Management Institute.  The six-hour course costs $175.  Contact Brenda Fender at 800-488-8842 for details.

• November 6 in Indianapolis – “Mold – Options and Remedies” by the Lead-Safe Indiana Task Force features Steve Ambro.  The two-hour session – in the evening of the first day of the 2002 Lead-Safe Indiana Conference - is available at no cost for the general public and conference attendees.   The conference will also include an afternoon discussion forum to address state policy issues regarding mold. 

• November 8 in Jasper - “The Indiana Toxic Mold Institute:  A Seminar on Indoor Air Quality, Sick Building Syndrome and Toxic Mold” by Douglas Haney, Mark Tatum and Beverly Weikert.  The four-hour seminar costs $99 if registered before October 7.  Contact Jim McFaul at 812-481-5909 or jmcfaul@indian.vinu.edu for further details.

Thanks for improving kids' environment!   If you have any questions or comments, contact Tom Neltner at mccabe@ikecoalition.org or 317-442-3973.  If you need more information on national events, check out the Alliance Alert Newsletter at www.afhh.org and click on newsletter.  This newsletter was produced with the assistance of IHFA through federal funds made available by IHFA under the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990, as amended, using HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.