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Photo courtesy John Winters Thanks to The Boren Foundation, and Jack and Karen Kay Leonard for making this website possible. |
Your Kid's Health:
Can You Trust Your Paint and Pesticide Store?
II. Improvements for Retail Hardware Stores from 2004 to 2005
In 2004, IKE surveyed the stores of the five major retail hardware chains serving Indianapolis. They chains are: Ace, Do-It-Best, Home Depot, Lowes and Menards. The True Value chain does not serve Indianapolis. IKE published the results on March 15, 2004. Before releasing the report, it notified the chains through their website and any local contacts IKE had established.
The report received significant media coverage in Indianapolis, primarily in the Indianapolis Star. As a result of the issues raised by the report, the Marion County Health Department convened an Indianapolis Paint Retailers Task Force to identify opportunities to help the stores provide better service to protect children. MCHD sent a letter inviting all hardware and paint specialty stores to participate and made several follow-up phone calls. Representatives of Ace, Do-It-Best, Lowes and Porter Paint attended the first task force meeting. Only Porter Paint was represented at the second meeting.
While not the subject of the 2004 report, IKE was contacted by management from both Porter Paints and Sherwin Williams and worked closely with the stores to identify and implement improvements.
In addition, IKE filed formal complaints with the Office of Indiana State Chemist for violations of Indiana’s pesticide regulations when it believed advice was being illegally given. The Office issued seven fines totaling $1,600 and eight warnings. It found only one store in compliance with the rules.
The 2005 survey differed from the 2004 survey in three aspects:
· In 2005, the shopper asked the clerks giving pesticide advice whether they were trained. The shopper did not ask that question in 2004.
· In 2005, the shopper was a young woman. In 2004, a middle-aged man completed most of the store visits.
· As noted above, in 2005, the retail hardware store chains and paint specialty stores were aware of Indiana’s pesticide regulations and IKE’s expectations.
· The charts on the next two pages provide detailed comparisons for each chain from 2004 to 2005 for pesticides hazards and lead-based paint hazards using the seven performance measures described in Section I of this report.
· Lead-Based Paint Hazards:
o The overall score increased from 38 in 2004 to 61 in 2005 – a 60% increase. With the exception of Lowes which had the same score, each chain improved its overall score.
o Do-It-Best had the most significantly improved overall score. It went from worst in 2004 with a score of 11 in 2004 to second best in 2005 with a score of 70 – just one point from the best score.
o All chains improved their scores for initial advice.
o Lowes was the only chain not to improve its final advice.
o Lowes’ score in making LeadCheck swabs and EPA pamphlet’s dropped in 2005.
· Pesticides Selection:
o The overall score increased from 17 in 2004 to 31 in 2005 on a scale of 100. Each chain improved its overall score.
o Lowes had the most significant improved overall score. It went from second worst in 2004 with a score of 11 to best in 2005 with a score of 44.
o Menards remained the worst of the five chains in 2005. Despite improving its performance, the improvement was too small to make up for its poor performance in 2005.
o Lowes had the highest score in 2005 for any of the three individual measures. Seven of nine of its stores – 78% - had warning signs posted.
o Do-It-Best was the only chain to go down on any individual measure. The quality of advice given dropped from 75% acceptable to 40%.
o Ace, Do-It-Best and Menards did not have the required warning signs in 2004. In 2005, Menards was the only chain not to post signs. Indiana law only requires signs when a store clerk gives pesticide selection and use advice. Clerks in five of Menard’s seven stores gave advice illegally.