Mar. 4, 2011
By Andrew Faust
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Are you safe in your own home?
Several Greensboro residents are not.
Due to the the city’s abundance of homes built before 1978, lead-based paints and other products are commonly found inside these homes and have the potential to cause many health-related problems.
Luckily, the city was recently awarded its fourth three-year grant funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that aims to eliminate lead exposure in homes across the country by 2018.
The funds are intended for use by citizens with low or moderate income, and citizens living in homes built before 1978 can apply to have their home inspected and revitalized.
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine overexposure to lead can lead to lead poisoning and even lasting effects. Additionally the library says that children are more likely to have permanent impact on attention and IQ as a result of even mild lead poisoning.
“In the 9 years that we’ve been doing this program, we’ve made about 650 units in the city lead safe,” said Mildred Powell, Greensboro’s Lead Safe Housing Program manager. “We’re projected to do 205 (homes) with this grant, but more than likely we will exceed that.”
The previous grants, which were first awarded to the city in 1971 provided $3 million for lead-safe home revitalization.
However, this year’s $3.1 million grant is slightly different than the previous grants in that it also included a new $100,000 “Healthy Homes” component.
“‘Healthy Homes’ is an area that encompasses lead, but is much broader than that,” said Powell. “I mean it includes other hazards within the home that could affect the occupants, particularly young children.”
These additional hazards include dust, mold and mildew which can trigger a variety of health problems.
“It’s not just lead-based paint that’s the issue, it’s the other things that are made of lead in the house,” said Paula Cox, senior environmental health specialist at the Guilford County Department of Public Health.
According to Cox, the grant emphasizes providing safe homes for children younger than 6 years old, who are most vulnerable to lead exposure, however lead exposure can affect anyone.
“You can’t quantify the fact that it’s been able to prevent a child from being exposed to lead,” said Cox.
HUD awarded only two grants for this initiative in the state of North Carolina; one for the state itself, and the other for Greensboro.
Although the city is targeting areas around southeast greensboro for the lead-safe revitalization, all citizens are allowed to apply.
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