Lead Dust Testing

1. Lead Dust Testing A guide for Home Visitors

2. Lead 101- An Overview • What is Lead? • A heavy metal, historically added to paint and gas • Where is lead paint? • In older homes (in almost all pre-1950 homes) • Mostly on wooden surfaces on interior and exterior • Not so often on plaster

3. How does lead harm us? • Lead is a poison • Damages the brain • Can cause loss of IQ • Can have behavioral effects

4. Who is at risk? • Everyone, but particularly children under 6 • Risk greatest from time they begin to walk to about age 3 • Spending time on the floor • Discovering with their hands and mouths • Rapidly developing brains injured by lead

5. How do children get lead in their bodies? • MOST CHILDREN ARE EXPOSED TO LEAD AS LEAD DUST • Lead dust is heavy and settles on floors and window sills. • Children play in these areas, get dust on hands and toys, put hands and toys in mouth. • Young children explore with their mouths. This is normal behavior.

6. How is lead dust made? • Lead dust from lead paint is made by: • Normal wear and tear • Weathering (exterior paint and porches) • Sanding or scraping during repairs or renovation

7. What a home dust kit can do for a family: • Educate about lead risk in their home • Allow them to take actions to keep children safer • Help empower to discuss with landlord

8. A home dust kit does not: • Tell you where the lead dust is coming from • Give the family a certified result • Automatically require the landlord to remove all lead from the home

9. General Tenants Rights Related to Lead: • Disclosure of Lead • Written disclosure from landlord at time of rental for any unit built before 1978- federal law, landlord can indicate that they do not know if lead present. Enforced by EPA. • Renovations and Repair- • Landlord must dowritten disclosure 30 days before start of work- Maine law • Landlord or contractor must be certified by EPA to do paint disturbing work. – Federal Law • Warrant of Habitability • Requires apartments to be reasonably safe and habitable. Maine Law – requires specific steps from tenant to enforce.

10. Things a tenant should know before they agree to a test: • The choice to do a test is their own, it is not required • It can help them take actions and make choices to protect their children from lead • Their landlord might have a negative reaction to dust testing including attempting eviction • They can choose to not provide landlord contact information on the form • Very high test results are very risky to children and may result in further testing and enforcement by ME-CDC

11. Can testing get a tenant evicted? Maybe, but it’s not legal. • Tenants have a legal right to test. Landlord cannot retaliate for testing. • Written lease: Must have reason to evict • No Lease: no reason neededto evict, but requires notice, and eviction considered retaliatory if in court the landlord can’t point to any other reason for the eviction • Can evict for late/unpaid rent • To fight eviction you have to go to court.

12. Guidelines for enrolling families: • Occupancy: • Renter occupied • Child under 6 present (may live or visit there more than 6 hours per week) and • Age of building: • Focus on pre-1950 or • Occupation: • An adult occupant works with Lead

13. Engaging the family to test: • Discuss lead risk and lead testing process with the family. • Inform about pros and cons of testing in regards to tenancy issues. If wish to proceed, determine whether or not they wish to fill in landlord contact information. They may wish to wait until have results in hand before deciding if and how to approach the landlord. • Have tenant/family sign your agency’s waiver if you use one.

14. Break to Play Video, Open Kits, & Practice the Tests!

15. Getting ready: • Have a pen and tape on hand • Have the person doing the test wash their hands • Identify the areas to test • Kitchen floor • Another floor in the area the child plays • Window sill the child attracted to

16. Supporting the test: • Assist in set up • Tape the square template to the floor in the kitchen • Have the tenant • Put on the glove • Wipe in one direction with s-shaped motion • Fold dirty sides in on themselves • Repeat wiping in opposite direction • Place wipe in correct tube

17. Help with other wipes: • Repeat family support steps for: • “Other floor” • Windowsill • Assist with measurement The only wrong way to do the test is to not complete it!

18. The filling out the forms: • Finish the kit’s “sampling information” form • Measurement for window sill • Locations can be listed in comments area • Landlord contact information, • Parent contact info • Date • Tenant signature • Complete the tracking form provided by HMP

21. Your follow up steps: • Put tubes and the sampling information form in the box • Place kit’s mailing label on box • Tape box shut • Put kit in mail • Provide tracking form to your contact person at the HMP

22. Follow up by ME-CDC with family • All results go to tenant in mail • Follow up is different with the level of results • Tenants will receive next step information, specific to their needs, identified by results level. • High results will receive a phone call from ME-CDC to talk about their specific situation. • If tenant provided landlord contact info, a copy will be sent to landlord. If not, a spare copy of results sent to tenant. • ME-CDC suggests tenant speak to landlord and provide results. If results warrant a complaint to the landlord, it’s best for tenant to do in writing.

23. Resources: • {Insert your contact info} • Local Pine Tree Legal, {insert local phone#} • Tina Bernier, Maine Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, 287-5688 www.maine.gov/healthyhomes • If landlord doing work that you think is creating lead dust exposure for family call Department of Environmental Protection, 287-5521

24. Questions?