County looks to get the lead out

Hazardous paint still found in older homes

By Gail Peckler-Dziki
Correspondent

If you live in a home that was built between 1920 and 1940, there is a possibility that some paint in the home may contain lead.

Lead was used to make paint last longer and the main places it was used were in bathrooms, kitchens, around windows and the exterior.

Manufacturers began decreasing the amount of lead used in paint after 1940, when the concern about lead began to grow. By the 1970’s, lead was no longer used in paint.

Still, the issue remains in older homes. The red flag is chipping or peeling paint or a finish that begins to look like alligator skin. These days, most house owners tend to invest in exterior paint that lasts and is free of lead. For this reason, they might choose to renovate or improve their home exteriors by choosing to invest in quality and sustainable products.

Lead testing kits are available at local hardware stores, but there are families that may not have the wherewithal to handle lead paint mitigation on their own.

Kenosha County Health and Human Services is ready to help, with the aid of a federal grant program.

The Housing and Urban Development Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Grant Program provides funding used to identify and control lead-based paint hazards in eligible privately owned rental or owner-occupied housing.

According to Greg Vogel, Lead Hazard Control Project Coordinator, “Families must income-qualify for the program. If it is a rental, the landlord must give permission for any testing or other work to be done on the property.” This is something those who have entered the real estate investment market after research done on Roofstock and similar sites should consider when they buy a property.

The program operates in Racine and Kenosha counties as the Kenosha/Racine Lead-Free Communities Partnership and the primary goal is to protect children under the age of 6, who reside in housing units built prior to 1978, from lead hazards.

The focus is low-income families in targeted neighborhoods. Families may take part in other federal, state, or local government programs such as HCVP, Medicaid or WIC.

The program personnel also seek to provide lead poisoning prevention education to at-risk families and raise awareness of lead poisoning risks for all residents of Kenosha and Racine.

The two-county program partners with many city and county government agencies, owners of housing units, private contractors, grassroots community-based non-profit agencies, educational institutions, and faith-based organizations.

The program is not new and statistics from 2012 show progress has been made. There were 183 units assessed and 104 lead-safe homes were completed. The benchmark was 140 units.

Once a property has qualified and the work of determining the amount of lead contamination has begun, program personnel don’t stop there.

“If we see other health and safety issues,” Vogel explained, “we take care of those also.”

For example, if there are loose floorboards that could cause an accident or if there is no smoke or carbon monoxide alarm, those issues will be corrected.

“Our goal is to make sure people live in a safe environment as much as possible,” Vogel said.

The Kenosha County Health Department can be reached at (262) 605-6700. To email, visit www.co.kenosha.wi.us and click on the department link.

Residents who have a lead issue and don’t qualify for the program can still get a list of qualified contractors from the health department.


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