Properties with lead hazards and multiple resident children: What can we learn?


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

3020.0: Monday, December 12, 2005 - 9:24 AM

Abstract #116647

Properties with lead hazards and multiple resident children: What can we learn?

Carla Campbell, MD, MS, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Division of Maternal, Child, and Family Health, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, 2100 West Girard Ave., PNH Building #3, Philadelphia, PA 19130-1400, 215-685-2795, Carla.Campbell@phila.gov and Richard E. Tobin, MS, MPA, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, 2100 W Girard Ave, PNH #3, Philadelphia, PA 19130.

The recommendations for primary prevention of lead poisoning include the recommendation to screen communities for the presence of high-risk properties. Public health officials should be concerned about properties identified with lead hazards and associated over time with multiple children in that residence. Hazardous properties that have housed multiple children may warrant further evaluation and remediation. Since many public health programs have computerized databases, an analysis of property characteristics could be performed. This study will determine the utility of this model of data analysis.

This study will review data (paper and computerized) to look at the characteristics of 112 properties in Philadelphia for which either 6 (10 properties) or 4-5 (102 properties) lead poisoned children have been associated. The property inspection is triggered when at least one resident child has either a venous lead level of 20 mcg/dL or higher, or two levels of 15 mcg/dL or higher. This data review will look at several characteristics of these suspect properties: number of resident children and blood lead level patterns; the time span for which resident children resided in the presence of identified lead hazards; number of properties achieving compliance in addressing lead hazards at some point or as the last recorded environmental action; community characteristics of these multi-children properties (location by zip code, census tract, block group; SES status) and other characteristics of interest. Conclusions will be drawn about this approach as one method for the public health community to identify housing with a high risk for lead exposure of children.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

1) Identify and discuss the key strategies for implementing primary prevention of lead exposure and lead poisoning.
2) Understand the process and details involved in screening high-risk housing in a community.
3) Review the process of data abstraction and data analysis from computerized and non-computerized data stores for use in screening communities for high-risk housing.

Keywords: Community-Based Public Health, Environmental Health Hazards

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

Tools for Assessing Exposure to Metals

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA