Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #103708

Maria Rapuano, Alliance for Healthy Homes, 227 Massachusetts Ave., NE, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20002, 202-543-1147, mrapuano@afhh.org

Over the past two years the Alliance for Healthy Homes has partnered with six state and local health departments and ten CBOs to develop and implement strategies to motivate landlords of high-risk rental properties to control lead hazards using the federal lead hazard disclosure law. Many childhood lead poisoning prevention programs (CLPPPs) struggle to get landlords to control hazards, even in the extreme case of a lead-poisoned child. Because state and local laws and/or enforcement powers are often weak, CLPPPs need to take full advantage of federal law. Rampant noncompliance with the federal disclosure law in most low-income, high-risk rental properties creates an opportunity to leverage the disclosure law for corrective action. The experience of the Alliance's partners has demonstrated the effectiveness of four strategies for leveraging the federal disclosure law for primary prevention: 1) educating tenants about their legal rights under the disclosure and other relevant state and local laws; 2) informing landlords of their legal duties to disclose lead hazards, penalties for noncompliance, and resources available to help them take corrective action; 3) systems changes that strengthen or complement the federal disclosure law; and 4) referring egregious cases to HUD and EPA for enforcement. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the disclosure law, discuss strategies for leveraging the law for primary prevention, provide examples of successes of and lessons learned by CLPPPs that already have implemented these strategies, and describe tools that are available to support CLPPS interested in leveraging the disclosure law.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Recognize the power of the federal disclosure law as a tool for primary prevention of lead poisoning.
• 2. List four proven strategies for making the most of the federal disclosure law.
• 3. Develop and apply strategies for using the disclosure law in their communities to motivate owners of high-risk housing to take corrective action.

Keywords: Lead, Healthy Buildings

Related Web page: www.afhh.org/aboutus/aboutus_projects.htm#MakingtheMostoftheFederalDisclosureLaw

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation