SAFE AT THEIR HOME BASE FAMILIES GET GUIDANCE TO PREVENT POISONING, ASTHMA.

Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer

PACOIMA - They go door to door, checking walls for peeling paint, sniffing the air for musty odors, eyeing the carpet for signs of heavy wear.

Called promotoras, or promoters, the five women have visited more than 300 homes in the last two years. A combination of amateur sleuth and educator, they uncover the moisture, mold, cockroach infestations and lead problems that can trigger asthma, allergies and other illnesses in adults and children.

And because of their non-threatening approach - neighbor to neighbor, mom to mom - they've been able to connect with poor, immigrant families in ways that other programs haven't.

``We're mothers who live in the community and really understand our community,'' said Elvia Hernandez, a promotora and Pacoima resident for the last seven years. ``We're sensitive. We don't create panic. We're not social workers or workers from the city. We're not here to report them.''

The Environmental Home Educators Program was launched in 2002 by Pacoima Beautiful to help combat lead poisoning, which can lower IQs and cause behavioral problems in children.

While initially trained to test for lead, the promotoras also learned to recognize other problems common in urban, poor and immigrant communities, where landlords may not maintain property and renters fear eviction, deportation or rent increases if they complain.

``We're trying to find a way that the family doesn't get evicted and the landlord gets the money to make the fixes,'' said Patty Ochoa, coordinator of the home educators program.

Pacoima is a community at high risk of lead poisoning. Most of the homes are older - built before 1950 - so the original paint likely contains lead that can be ingested or inhaled if it peels or chips from the walls.

The promotoras teach residents how to repair many of the basic home hazards themselves. They also refer eligible renters and homeowners to the Los Angeles Housing Department's lead control program, which can offer grants and loans for major rehabilitation.

A year ago, when promotora Lupe Hernandez walked by a decrepit house on Bradley Avenue and saw the peeling paint, broken windows and rotting eaves, she knew she had to stop.

``The paint was in really, really bad condition. When we tested a paint chip, the lead levels (were) really high,'' Hernandez recalled.

Blood tests revealed a toddler in the house had lead poisoning.

Isabel Lazalde had lived in the house five years with her husband, a painter's assistant, and their four children. They didn't have the money to make the improvements themselves, and were reluctant to ask the landlord to make repairs for fear he would raise the rent.

Hernandez convinced the Lazalde family to enroll in the city's lead abatement program.

Over the next few months, workers coated the peeling paint with sealant and installed double-paned windows.

They also removed a bulky furnace from the middle of the kitchen; replaced the dirty, worn rug with commercial-grade carpet; patched holes in the walls; and installed new doors throughout the two-bedroom house.

Since then, Lazalde said, the house is much warmer in the winter and the children don't get sick as often. Her teenage daughter used to be embarrassed by the house but now invites friends over to visit.

Lazalde's face glows now when she talks about her home and her husband's plans to paint the kitchen this month.

``She was a great help and she explained everything to me,'' Lazalde said of her experience working with Hernandez. ``I could trust her.''

The promotora program costs about $200,000 a year for the visits and lead tests. The group has several grants, including federal housing money, doled out by the Alliance for Healthy Housing.

The promotoras are trained to scan the walls, windowsills and floor, looking for peeling paint or paint chips that can contain lead.

They sniff the air, seeking the telltale musty smell of moisture and mold. Excess moisture from a leaking pipe or damaged roof can spur mold, an allergen that wreaks havoc on the sinuses. Cockroaches breed in a moist environment, and the bug droppings and body parts can cause allergy and asthma attacks.

They eye the carpet. Old carpet can be a haven for dust mites, another asthma trigger. Asthma is one of the leading reasons children miss school.

Promotora Wendy Valenzuela's son has suffered from severe asthma from infancy. But after learning about dust mites, she ripped out her old carpet and installed flat, commercial carpet and bought a vacuum cleaner with a special filter. As a result, her son has far fewer asthma attacks and has stopped using a breathing machine.

``I've changed my whole way of doing things.''

Kerry Cavanaugh, [phone]

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com

A HEALTHY HOME

Here are some healthy-home tips from the ``promotoras'':

--If you live in a home built before 1979 with the original paint, there could be a lead problem. Have your children tested for lead exposure. If the paint is flaking or peeling, keep children away from the area and get the paint tested for lead.

--Several types of lollipops, candy and tamarind paste made in Mexico contain high levels of lead. Lead poisoning can lower a child's IQ and cause behavioral problems.

--Wall-to-wall carpet can harbor dust mites or mold. Replace it with flooring or commercial-grade carpet. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to suck up mites that worsen asthma.

--Look in closets, bathrooms and under the sinks for moisture, which promotes the growth of mold and attracts cockroaches, which can worsen asthma and allergies.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Lupe Hernandez, a home educator for Pacoima Beautiful, looks over the improvements that have been made to Isabel Lazalde's home to make it safer for the family to live in.

(2) Pacoima Beautiful environmental home educator Lupe Hernandez enters the gate at Isabel Lazalde's home. Hernandez had discovered lead in the home's paint.

(3) Angel Lazalde, 2, can enjoy healthier holidays after his family installed double-paned windows, removed a furnace, replaced the rug, patched holes in the walls and installed new doors.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

Box:

A HEALTHY HOME (see text)