Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home
By: Bruce A. Haber
A statement that resonates with the HUD Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes (OLHCHH). In 1996, HUD, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) created the pamphlet as part of the process to educate persons renting or buying a home built before 1978. HUD and EPA issued the Federal Lead Disclosure Rule, requiring owners to tell their next tenant or purchaser, about any known lead-based paint in the home. The rule did not require the home to be tested so the pamphlet educated the tenant or purchaser on lead in the home, including lead-based paint, lead in soil, lead in dust and recently added information about lead in water.
If you live in an older home, read the pamphlet. You can also take simple steps to protect you and your family.
If you suspect that your house has lead-based paint hazards, you can take some immediate steps to reduce your family's risk:
- If you rent, notify your landlord of peeling or chipping paint.
- Keep painted surfaces clean and free of dust.
- Carefully clean up paint chips immediately without creating dust.
- When renovating, repairing, or painting, hire only EPA- or state-approved Lead-Safe Certified renovation firms
Click below to download a copy of the pamphlet. It is available in multiple languages.
|
Saw It On The News
Recently, Chicago Cook County Departments of Public Health partnered for a lead and healthy homes event to celebrate the success of their lead abatement programs.
Landale News Citizen Newspaper
New Radon Explainer Videos Now Available
Explore the new animated radon videos covering radon planning, testing, and how to fix and reduce radon in homes. In conjunction with the accompanying fact sheets and infographics, the videos provide clear and specific information about radon gas, how to detect it, and how to mitigate if it is present.
The videos also highlight:
- Where radon comes from and how it enters buildings
- Key information for effectively testing radon in the home
How to reduce radon levels with a radon mitigation system
New Section 3 Resources Available
The following resources have been added to the Section 3 Resources and Tools page. These resources are designed to support recipients of housing and community development (HCD) and public housing financial assistance with Section 3 compliance and are essential for understanding, implementing, and communicating Section 3 requirements to subrecipients, contractors, subcontractors, and Section 3 workers.
OSHA Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is now open for public comment until December 30th. The input will help OSHA develop a final rule that adequately protects workers, is feasible for employers, and is based on the best available evidence.
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is available on the Federal Register web page. You may submit comments and attachments electronically at www.regulations.gov, Docket No. OSHA-2021-0009. Follow the instructions online for making electronic submissions. When submitting comments or recommendations, commenters should explain their rationale and, if possible, provide data and information to support their comments or recommendations. More information about OSHA Heat Rulemaking can be found here.
|
September is National Preparedness Month! - Learn More on Ready.gov!
September marks National Preparedness Month, the annual campaign?to remind everyone?that preparing for emergencies and disasters can keep them, their families, and their communities safe.
While the resources and information shared during National Preparedness Month and on Ready.gov can be used by anyone at any time to get prepared for whatever may come their way, this year, the campaign is focused on preparing Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. The Ready Campaign aims to ensure all of our friends and neighbors have the tools they need to prepare for disasters and build resilience before disaster strikes.
Launch your community's National Preparedness Month campaign using National Preparedness Month | Ready.gov resources. Access preparedness materials in multiple languages at Ready in Your Language | Ready.gov and build your own Basic Disaster Supplies Kit.
|
Events
- September 12, 2024: The Role of AI in Advancing Public Health. In this webinar, leading public health experts explore how AI can optimize operations at local, state, and national levels—from transforming data collection, analytics, and forecasting to customizing communication messages, responding to misinformation, and targeting resources to better promote equity.
- September 19, 2024: Join Jennie Romer, EPA's Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pollution Prevention, on Sept. 19, 2024, from 2-3 p.m. ET, for a webinar on how EPA's Safer Choice program helps people find and have access to cleaning and other products made with safer ingredients and works in partnership with a broad range of stakeholders to prevent pollution. Speakers from industry, a nonprofit organization, academia and EPA will discuss the growing impact of the Safer Choice program to increase use of safer ingredients throughout the value chain and how P2 practitioners can increase use and development of safer products.
Home Innovation Research Labs and the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA) partnered to study innovative, cost-effective assistive devices that improve accessibility in townhomes and row houses without requiring major renovations. Study participants include seniors, persons with disabilities, caregivers, and design professionals specializing in accessibility.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) identified townhomes and row houses as needing innovative solutions to accommodate the growing population experiencing physical, mental, or sensory challenges. Several programs exist that provide retrofits to existing homes, but in many cases, the cost of renovating can be prohibitive due to narrow hallways, multilevel stairs, and the lack of bedrooms and full bathrooms on the first floor. This study addresses three key issues: (1) identifying home improvements needed to make these homes more accessible for individuals with mobility-related limitations; (2) evaluating innovative assistive devices; and (3) determining the availability and cost of such devices.
Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public health, Boston University, and Oregon State University have developed a method for calculating the health and climate impacts of energy savings, the Co-Benefits of the Built Environment (CoBE) Tool. CoBE is for anyone who works with energy and buildings, wants to understand the impact of their energy consumption better, and is interested in reducing that impact. The tools helps building owners, operators, and others quality health and climate benefits for evidence-based decision-making.
- September 26, 2024: Join Trust for America's Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion on September 26, 2024 for the National Healthy Aging Symposium: Innovation Across the Age-Friendly Ecosystem. The Symposium will explore successful innovations developed to improve older adult health and well-being in communities around the country. The event will build upon the successful and ongoing collaborations between aging services and public health that began at the first National Healthy Aging Summit in 2015. Policymakers, researchers, and professionals from across sectors will share their perspectives on important topics related to healthy aging through a series of panels covering topics like caregiving, social engagement, housing, transportation, brain health, and workforce. To register.
Resources
Post-Disaster Resources from OLHCHH
Coming Soon: How to Establish a Smoking Cessation Program in Public Housing Primary Care Online Training Course.
About the Course:
National Center for Health in Public Housing (NCHPH) will be publishing a self-paced learning module for health centers located in or immediately accessible to public housing with a focus on how to provide guidance and instructions on establishing a smoking cessation program in Public Housing Primary Care. The focus will be on establishing a smoking cessation protocol and how to conduct smoking cessation groups.
This course provides participants with all necessary information and supplemental materials that are needed to conduct a comprehensive smoking cessation program either in a group setting, or with individual patients.
This course is designed and most effective when used by professionals who have previously received training for and have experience providing training in smoking and nicotine.
Pre-Register Now!
Food Safety Tip
Keep food safety in mind during hurricane season. Power outages can make food unsafe to eat. Always throw out perishable food in your refrigerator after four hours without power or a cold source like ice.
Check temperatures of food kept in coolers or your refrigerator with an added cold source and throw out food that has thawed or is above 40°. Get more tips on food safety during and after an emergency.
Get more tips to keep food safe during an emergency
|
