Inner-city kids not only ones at risk from lead.

There is a widely-held "myth" that the only demographic group to face significant risk from lead exposure is inner-city children who are subjected to poor living conditions. However, the truth of the matter is that lead exposure can pose health problems to an immensely diverse cross-section of the population, regardless of their economic or social conditions.

As if to serve as a glaring reminder of this fact, the Residential Lead-Based Hazard Reduction Act of 1992, more commonly known as Title X, requires, as of September 6, 1996, all residences built prior to 1978, with four or more rental units, to disclose the presence of lead-containing surfaces or materials to prospective buyers. Beginning December 6, the act applies to an residences built before 1978.

According to the act, any surface or material having a surface reading of 1 mg per square centimeter or containing more than 0.5 percent lead, respectively, will be considered lead-containing. In order to determine whether a surface or material contains lead, surveys of the property must be undertaken. The strict testing requirements for such a survey include proper qualifications of the individual performing the tests, specification of the types of testing equipment and sampling methods used and the number and location of the samples to be obtained. The act also provides that sellers must allow buyers 10 days to conduct their own lead inspections, at the buyer's expense.

All too often the seriousness of a lead threat is psychologically dismissed, because the deadliness of lead is not widely understood or pointedly illustrated. We wind up asking ourselves, "What does all this mean, in the real world? How much lead must a child realistically consume to display a defined result?" It is my estimation that if a child consumed a paint chip the size of a dime, containing a normal, but high concentration of white lead paint, they may experience as much as a 10 point drop in their IQ.

While this is speculative, it is actually quite reasonable, based on the extraordinarily small levels of lead known to cause defined, adverse effects. A lead level of 10.0 to 150 micrograms (ug) per decaliter (dl) of blood can be fatal to a child. Currently, the federal government's goal is to reduce lead exposure in children to 10 ug/dl of blood, a vast reduction from the 60 ug/dl considered acceptable in 1970.

While the blood levels of inner-city housing children do appear to contain a higher amount of lead, it is not true that children in suburban or more affluent neighborhoods, are immune to the risk of possible adverse exposure. Information from the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA) shows that children in any home built prior to 1980 face potentially elevated blood lead levels. Studies show that 75 percent of the homes built before 1978 contained lead-based paint sufficient to result in elevated blood levels

At this point, it is important to understand just what the effects of lead are on the human body. Lead in the body can cause serious damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, the cardiovascular system and the kidneys. Exposure to high concentrations of lead can cause retardation, convulsions, coma and even death. Children are especially susceptible to lead poisoning, and even low levels, persisting through childhood, are known to slow a child's normal development and cause learning and behavioral problems.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), as well as numerous investigations, report long-lasting impacts on intelligence, motor controls, hearing and the emotional development of children whose lead levels are below those associated with any obvious symptoms of exposure.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established 50 ug/dl of lead in the blood of workers as an acceptable limit for adults, whose greatest risk of exposure is considered the workplace. However, occupational exposure is not the only risk to adults, many of whom, judging from the proliferation of home improvement megastores, it would seem, are more than willing to undertake the repair and renovation of their own homes. The increasing trend toward do-it-yourself home improvement can also mean a greater risk of exposure to adults, as well as children, particularly if the work is being done on older homes.

The simple acts of changing a bathroom's fixtures or scraping and repainting surfaces around the home can potentially create lead dust and dislodge lead-based paints that can greatly increase the possibility of exposure. Even if care is taken in isolating the space where the work is taking piece, lead can still be carried on clothing and transported to other household areas, contaminating them. This may seem insignificant, unless you remember the extremely small quantity of lead-containing materials, a paint chip the size of a dime, required for children to display elevated blood levels.

Although home repair and renovation increase the potential for lead exposure, it is important to remember that any prolonged exposure can be detrimental to an individuals health. Title X provides for the disclosure of lead-containing surfaces and materials in all pre-1978 residences involved in real estate transactions beginning in December of this year, which means those residences must undergo a survey for such materials.

In New York City, the act means a different approach to the problem of lead. Currently, Local Law I requires that all lead-containing materials must be stripped from the city's housing, and when a hazard is found, the city's Housing Preservation and Development Department officials issue a violation. If necessary, contractors are then sent to remove the hazard and the landlord is billed for the work, which has been estimated at between $15,000 and $25,000 per unit. The new Federal act does not require this type of abatement, but concentrates on providing information and education through investigation and disclosure.

In addition to the Act's requirements, many states impose their own regulations on the qualifications of those performing these tests... so make sure you check with your state authorities. New Jersey, for example, requires that not only must the individual performing the tests be qualified, but that the company for which they work register with the state, as well.

Consequently, we at Atlantic Environmental Inc., for example, are licensed to perform lead testing and risk assessment, and employ qualified individuals to carry them out for housing, public and commercial building markets, healthcare facilities, etc.