Prevention, Pesticides
and Toxic Substances 17101)
Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance (2201 A)
EPA305-N-99-001
March 1999
&EPA
THE LEAD LINE
Lead Goes to the Movies!
The National Cinema Outreach Pilot Project
Protect Your Children
I From Lead
December 10th was the kick-off
date for OPPT's National Cin
ema Outreach Pilot Project. The
program provided, for the first time, lead
hazard awareness information on theater
screens. This was an innovative, nation-
wide pilot program which ran in 17 states,
57 cities, 510 screens, wijh 1530 screen-
ings each day, or 45,900 viewings each
month. The project consisted of three slides
relating to lead poisoning being shown prior
to the feature film at selected cities across
the country. All three slides featured medi-
cal backgrounds and have different messages
concerning lead awareness. The slides dis-
played the 1-800-424-LEAD number and the
Lead Web site.
During the holiday period, and extend-
ing through the month of January, the
lead hazard awareness messages were
viewed by a potential audience of half
a million people. If you saw the mes-
sage in one of your neighborhood the-
aters, we'd appreciate any feedback
here at headquarters. Please e-mail
laing.susan@epa.gov, or
Carroll.megan(a!epa.gov.
Maryland Property Firm Gets
Penalty Relief Under Audit Policy
by Claude Walker and Fran Jonesi, OECA
E'A and Grady Management, Inc.
greed to a settlement that recognizes
the property firm's voluntary efforts to find,
promptly disclose and expeditiously cor-
rect violations of the Disclosure Rule. The
firm avoided thousands of dollars in po-
tential penalties and becomes the first com-
pany to be approved for penalty relief under
the Audit Policy for violations of the Dis-
closure Rule. Because Grady met all of
the conditions of the Audit Policy, EPA
waived 100 percent of the $10,560 penalty
that otherwise may have applied. Grady
disclosed four violations of the Disclosure
Rule to EPA in May 1998 after conducting
a voluntary self-audit of its 28 apartment
complexes in Maryland. The violations
concerned two apartment complexes in
which Grady failed to properly disclose the
presence of known lead-based paint to its
tenants. After notifying EPA of the viola-
tions, Grady promptly abated the lead-
based paint in one apartment complex and
provided tenants with the correct disclo-
sure statement in the other complex. The
Audit Policy promotes a higher standard
of self-policing by reducing, and in many
cases, eliminating penalties for violations
discovered and promptly corrected by the
violator. Another policy, called the "Policy
on Compliance Incentives for Small Busi-
nesses" (the ''Small Business Policy"), also
promotes environmental compliance by
providing incentives, such as penalty waiv-
ers and penalty mitigation, to small busi-
nesses that conduct self-audits, or
participate in on-site compliance assistance
programs, and discover, disclose and cor-
rect violations. The Small Business Policy
also allows small businesses to get anony-
mous government-sponsored compliance
assistance and still get penalty reduc-
tions or waivers if they disclose and
correct their violations. Compliance in-
centives in the Audit Policy and the
Small Business Policy have greatly in-
creased the frequency of self-monitor-
ing efforts among regulated
communities.
Contents...
From the Office Directors 2
Lead Teach '98 2
Compliance Assistance Project .... 2
1018 Enforcement Actions 3
New Bus Campaign 3
Educational Information 4
Regulatory Update 4
Region's Corner 6
HUD Highlights 6
-------
The Lead Line
From the Office Directors
We are pleased to provide the premier issue of the OPPT/OECA Lead Line. This collaborative effort is intended
to improve communication between EPA Headquarters and the regions, as well as allow OPPT and OECA to
better understand and coordinate lead-based paint activities from both offices. We believe that sharing information is
another step toward creating a cohesive team effort in implementing and enforcing the national lead program.
We would like to take this opportunity to let you know how much we appreciate your daily efforts and commitment to
this program. We are all aware of the importance of our mission to prevent childhood lead poisoning. In 1991, the
Secretary of HHS called lead poisoning the number one environmental threat to our nation's children. While significant
strides have been made in the past decade, extensive efforts must continue to protect the children who continue to be
exposed to lead in the environment (the latest studies indicate that nearly one million children aged one to five have
elevated blood lead levels). We look forward to working together to achieve these important goals and, as always, we
welcome your comments. We encourage you to use the response card printed on the last page of the bulletin or feel free
to call any of our lead program Headquarters staff.
William Sanders, PhD, Director
Office of Pollution Prevention
and Toxics, OPPTS
Elaine Stanley, Director
Office of Compliance, OECA
Eric Schaeffer, Director
Office of Regulatory
Enforcement, OECA
Exhibit Booth a Smash Hit at
Lead Tech '98
Demand for Technical Reports/Brochures Exceeds Expectations
by John Schwemberger, OPPT
The National Program Chemicals
Division in OPPT had its first ex-
hibit booth at a national lead confer-
ence at LeadTech98 in October 1998
in Baltimore, Maryland. An attractive
and colorful booth was created with
posters, pictures, covers from recently
published reports, and a graph
showing the decline of children's
blood lead levels, all mounted on a pro-
fessionally designed backdrop.
The booth also included a computer
display of the EPA Lead Home Page.
(www.epa.gov/lead).
The booth attracted many confer-
ence attendees. Numerous materials
were handed out and demand for tech-
nical reports and brochures exceeded
expectations. Some training providers
expressed a desire to be notified when
a new technical report was published.
Sign-up sheets were available for at-
tendees to request reports, brochures,
and other information.
Plans are being developed to use
the booth again at various locations in
1999. OPPT intends to make the booth
available to the regions for major meet-
ings, conferences and exhibits on a first
come, first served basis.
Please e-mail your questions to
Schwemberger.john(g;epa.gov, or
laing.susan@epa.gov.
Compliance Assistance Visits Help
Regulated Community Comply with
1018 Disclosure Rule Compliance
Assistance Pilot Project
by Helen Burke Region 9
During the period of dedicated
compliance assistance for the Sec-
tion 1018 Disclosure Rule, from Septem-
ber 1996 through December 1997,
Regions 2, 3, and 9 participated in a se-
ries of compliance inspections designed
to provide outreach to the regulated com-
munity, provide assistance in coming into
compliance with the new Disclosure Rule
and to help the regional inspectors gain
experience in conducting on-site reviews.
At the request of the Office of Compli-
ance, Region 9 has recently gone back to
those real estate offices and property man-
agement firms to evaluate the effective-
ness of the compliance inspections.
Region 9 originally conducted 20
visits in three San Francisco Bay Area
counties-Alameda, Contra Costa and
San Joaquin. The results of those vis-
its indicated that none of the property
management firms used Lead Disclo-
sure Forms (LDFs) at all, and that only
some of the real estate offices used
LDFs, (many of the forms that were
used by the real estate offices were in-
complete or contained minor viola-
March 1999
-------
The Lead Line
"Runs Better
Unleaded"
HITTING THE STREETS WITH
NEW BUS CAMPAIGN
by Megan Carroll, OPPT
OPPT has developed a poster
featuring the slogan "Runs Better
Unleaded" superimposed over colorful
photographs of children playing, along
with our -800-424-LEAD hotline number
and www.epa.gov/lead web address. As
part of this campaign, EPA has been work-
ing with the Washington Area Metro Tran-
sit Authority (WMATA) to have the
posters placed in Metrobuses and stations.
The posters have been placed in the inte-
rior of 500 Metrobuses for the month of
February. In March, 10 dioramas includ-
ing large 44" x 62" back-lighted posters,
will be placed in the WMATA Metrorail
stations to further promote EPA's Lead
Awareness Program. We will also print
18" x 22" wall posters using the same
images. These wall posters will be dis-
tributed to state, tribal and local depart-
ments of health, as well as children's
advocacy groups. (Megan Carroll,
260-7269)
1999 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
March 4, 5, %, 1999
Remodel America '99, Convention & Exposition,
New Convention Center, Atlantic City, NJ.
March 28-30, 1999
Forum on State Tribal Toxics Action (FOSTTA)
Embassy Suites, Alexandria, VA.
March 31-April 1, 1999
NETI Inspection Course for 402 Rule.
June 14-17
National Lead Program Development Workshop,
Hyatt Regency New Orleans, New Orleans, LA.
October 14-18
Region 8, 9, 10 Tri-regional Lead Conference,
Portland, Oregon.
tions.) In September 1998, Region 9
agreed to conduct follow-up inspec-
tions to see what effect the original visit
had on compliance and attain feedback
on the effectiveness on its outreach ef-
forts. Region 9 sent nine letters to
property management firms and real
estate offices previously having the
most violations asking the firms to send
to Region 9 copies of the most recent
leases or sales agreements with infor-
mation about the age of housing and
presence of children under 6 and preg-
nant women in each case.
The results show that compliance assis-
tance markedly improves compliance. The
property management firms that
did not use any LDFs now use them, although
a couple of firms had minor violations for
which they will receive NONs. Three out of
four real estate firms were in complete com-
pliance where they had violations during the
initial compliance visit. Although the sample
size is small, the results indicate that compli-
ance assistance has a very positive effect on
regulatory compliance. If you would like a
copy of the table comparing the results of the
two projects, please contact Helen Burke at
(415) 744-1126 or at burke.helen@epa.gov.
EPA Takes Enforcement
Actions Against Violators of
Discolosure Rule
by Claude Walker, OECA
A s reported in the October issue of
/XOECA's Enforcement Alert, EPA
proposed its first administrative civil pen-
alties against the U.S. Navy in Kingsville,
Texas, two landlords and a realty firm in
Pennsylvania and Oklahoma, respec-
tively, on July 28,1998 for failing to dis-
close to their tenants information on
lead-based paint as required by the Real
Estate Notification and Disclosure Rule
("Disclosure Rule"). In all four cases, the
properties were occupied by families with
young children. Recently, EPA Region
VII filed four additional complaints seek-
ing a total of $56,000 in civil penalties.
In each case, the tenant assisted EPA in
determining that their landlord failed to
comply with the Disclosure Rule and pro-
vided EPA with childrens' medical
records indicating seriously high blood
lead levels. In addition. Region V issued
a complaint for $10,000 against Indiana
University for failure to comply with the
Disclosure Rule. This brings the proposed
civil penalty amount to $505,925.
National Development Workshop
Planned for June
by Susan La/ng, OPPT
The National Lead Program Devel
opment Workshop will be held this
year in New Orleans, Louisiana, the week
of June 14'h. We have negotiated govern-
ment rates for the Hyatt Regency New
Orleans at the Louisiana Superdome. The
hotel has excellent meeting facilities.
OECA will be there to conduct break out
sessions on enforcement and compliance
activities. In addition to states, tribes and
territories, EPA has invited a variety of
other government agencies, including
HUD and CDC. More information to fol-
low as it becomes available.
The Lead Line
A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF
OPPT & OECA
Susan Laing
Co-Editor, OPPT
202 260-0248
Fran Jonesi
Co-Editor, OECA
202 564-7043
Rob Wright,
RLC Coordinator
202 260-7800
MARCH 1999
March 1999
Page 3
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ffe©
REGULATORY UPDATE
TSCA Section 403 Regs
by Jonathan Jacobson, OPPT
On June 3, 1998, EPA published the
proposed TSCA Section 403 regula-
tions, entitled Identification of Lead-Based
Paint Hazards, lead-Contaminated Dust,
and Lead-Contaminated Soil. The public
comment period closes on March 1,1999.
To date, we have received over 100 sub-
stantive comments. Most of these com-
ments focus on two issues: the proposed
hazard standard for soil and the require-
ment that hazards can only be identified
by certified risk assessors performing full
risk assessments. EPA will continue to
evaluate the comments and, based on these
comments, will publish the final regulation
and accompanying guidance documents.
Until then, the OPPT interim guidance, is-
sued in 1994 and published in the Federal
Register in 1995, remains the official
Agency policy.
The public comment period, origi-
nally from June 3,1998 through Septem-
ber 1, 1998, was extended, in part, to
accommodate meetings with other Fed-
eral agencies and the public. On Novem-
ber 12, EPA and ATSDR co-sponsored a
meeting with staff from EPA Headquar-
ters, HUD, DOD and CDC, with staff
from Region IX on teleconference. On
December 4, EPA sponsored a public
workshop and hearing in San Francisco
to enable the public to hear the perspec-
tives of 10 experts on the proposed rule.
The workshop consisted of three panels:
one that focused on the proposed dust
standards, one that focused on the pro-
posed soil standards, and a third that fo-
cused on the requirement that only
certified risk assessors can identify haz-
ards. On February 16, 1999, EPA held a
public meeting that focused on environ-
mental justice issues related to the pro-
posed rule. In addition to these three
meetings, the proposed rule was also dis-
cussed at the November 4-6, 1998 meet-
ing of the Children's Health Protection
Advisory Committee (CHPAC) and the
December 1998 meeting of the National
Environmental Justice Advisory Commit-
tee (NEJAC). For more information,
please call Jonathan Jacobson at
202-260-3779
Renovation & Remodeling
by Mike Wilson, OPPT
December 7,1998 the Agency held the first
of two planned stakeholder meetings to dis-
cuss, first and foremost, the applicability
of the upcoming proposal. This applica-
bility discussion, mandated by statute, will
use the results of the R&R study as well as
this stakeholder discussion to develop the
proposal. The meeting was well attended
by lead health effects experts, labor and
industry organization representatives,
abatement and R&R contractors, and State
representatives. We made significant
progress toward our goal and look forward
to a second meeting in February or March.
Implementation of the Lead-Based
Paint Training and Certification
Program (the "402 Rule")
by Paul Cestone and
Trad Brown, OPPT
States, territories, the District of Columbia
and tribes had until August 31, 1998 to
apply to EPA for authorization to set up
their own training, certification, and ac-
creditation requirements (and workplace
standards) to ensure that contractors who
conduct lead-based paint inspections, risk
assessments, and abatements in residences
and day care centers are properly trained
and certified and that training providers are
accredited. Implementation of the federal
program began at the end of August 1998.
Prior to the August effective date, several
states and tribes received authorization for
the implementation of training and certifi-
cation programs. The program has pro-
gressed to the point where authorized states
and tribes can now conduct lead-based ac-
tivities reliably, safely, and effectively.
By September of 1999, 29 states are
expected to be authorized, with EPA run-
ning the programs in the remaining states.
For more information, contact Traci
Brown at 202-260-8487 or Paul Cestone
(PJCestone@worldnet.att.net).
Pre-Renovation Information Rule
("406 Rule")
by Dayton Eckerson and Kara Vuicich
On June 1, 1998, EPA issued a final rule
entitled The Pre-Renovation Information
Rule under TSCA 406(b). The rule requires
renovators to provide a lead hazard infor-
mation pamphlet to owners and occupants
of pre-1978 housing prior to commencing
the renovation. In addition, the rule re-
quires notification on the nature of the reno-
vation activities in certain circumstances
involving multi-family housing. This rule
becomes effective on June 1, 1999. EPA
is currently developing a compliance guide
for the rule, as well as developing a com-
pliance and outreach strategy for assisting
the regulated community. In addition, Re-
gion 9 has developed a one-page, double-
sided handout to distribute to the regulated
community affected by the new Pre-Reno-
vation Lead Information Rule. The front
side consists of a checklist outlining the
regulatory requirements for those perform-
ing renovation activities in individual
dwelling units (on the left) and in multi-
family housing (on the right). The back
side contains three suggested formats for
contractors to use to certify that they have
delivered (or attempted to deliver) the pam-
phlet to building owners and/or
occupants. For electronic or hard copies
of the handout, please call or E-mail
Kara Vuicich at (415) 744-2242 or
vuicich.kara@epa.gov. A workgroup is
also putting together a tri-fold directed to
renovators (more info to come).
Management and Disposal of
Lead-Based Paint Debris
by Tova Spector
On December 9, 1998, EPA issued the
proposed rule entitled Management and
Disposal of Lead-Based Paint Debris
("Debris Rule"). The proposed rule gov-
erns the management and disposal of lead
based paint debris and would allow LBP
debris to be managed and disposed in a
Page 4
March 1999
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EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION
Community 2020 Distributed to
Regional Offices
by Fran Jonesi, OECA
The Office of Compliance has
purchased 10 copies of the "Geo-
graphic Information System (GlS)-related
computer mapping program Community
2020 and has begun distributing the soft-
ware to each region during the month of
February. Community 2020, developed
by HUD and Caliper Corporation and
packaged in a user-friendly CD ROM,
allows the user to create maps instantly
by selecting and displaying census and
other HUD data. The user can focus on
areas with certain characteristics, and
overlay maps showing, for example, hous-
ing older than 1978, housing in which
children under the age of six reside, and
other demographic characteristics. Com-
munity 2020 should be a useful tool for
the regions in implementing the compli-
ance monitoring strategy for the Real Es-
tate Notification and Disclosure Rule. For
additional information you may contact
Pamela Glekas at HUD at (202) 708-
2504, extension 4449, or Fran Jonesi
at (202) 564-7043.
The Model Courses
by Georgene Cooper, OPPT
This has been a productive year in terms
of progress on the model courses. Under
EPA's direction, the universities involved
developed a list of reviewers (EPA,
OSHA, HUD, consultants, contractors,
practitioners, pediatricians, etc). For the
Worker course, this was done about one
year ago (with regional input). The IN-
SPECTOR course has been through one
review cycle; it was revised and then sent
back to HUD for further comment. Once
the course is finalized, it will be sent to
HUD-User for pricing. Trainers are re-
quired to use the latest edition of the
course. Here is the status to date:
1) Updated Supervisor Course (Lead
Abatement Training for Supervisors and
Contractors)- Available at HUD-User now
2) New Project Designer Course (Lead
Planner/Project Designer Training) -
Available at HUD-User March (expected)
3) Updated Inspector Course
("Inspecting for Lead-Based Paint")—
Available at HUD-User March (expected)
4) Updated Worker Course (Residen-
tial Lead-Based Paint Abatement-EPA
Model Work Course) - - Available at
HUD-User
5) Risk Assessor Course- June 1995
Curriculum still in use
Inspector Guidance Course
for the 402 Rule
by Michelle Angelich, OECA
The Office of Compliance, in coordi-
nation with NETI, will be conducting
an inspector training course this Spring
at NETI Headquarters in Washington,
D.C. which is intended for EPA re-
gional lead-based paint coordinators
and their enforcement counterparts who
monitor compliance with the "402
rule." The rule requires that those in-
volved in lead abatement activities be
properly trained and certified and that
the training course be accredited. This
course will also be open to state and
tribal lead personnel who wish to gain
an understanding of EPA's approach to
enforcing the federal rule. To register,
please contact Edna Henderson, at 1-
800-EPA-NETI. In addition to the train-
ing course, an inspection manual will
also be available soon.
Lead Safe Contractor Course-
CD-ROM
by James M. Bryson, Region 1
Region I is developing a Lead Safe Contrac-
tor Course and interactive CD-ROM. The
course manual and interactive CD-ROM will
be based in part on the findings of the Yale
Study (what is the best way to train these con-
tractors) and the HUD and NARI informa-
tion. The CD-ROM will feature a glossary of
terms, have interactive video (HUD Renova-
tor Video), and can be effectively used by any
state, since the CD established a directory on
the hard drive for the states to place their 406-
type regulations (can be ready by Acrobat
Reader). The Manual and CD were finished
by December 1998. For further information,
please e-mail James M. Bryson.
REGULATORY UPDATE (continued)
more consistent and less costly manner
than previously under RCRA. OPPT
worked closely with the Office of Solid
Waste to develop the TSCA proposal.
After receiving and evaluating public
comment, the Agency will issue a Final
Rule. The RLC's were sent the Fact
Sheets and Q & A documents, as well as
the FR notices the last week in Decem-
ber. Public meetings are currently being
conducted. All info is posted on the lead
web page: www.epa.gov/lead.
Buildings, Bridges, and Structures
("TSCA Section 402 Rule")
EPA is in the process of develop-ing regu-
lations for lead-based paint activities in
commercial and public buildings and
structures, such as bridges and water
tanks. These regulations will be similar
to the rules for residences and day care
centers; however, they will reflect differ-
ences in job structure, type of paint used,
building materials and design, and poten-
tial for exposure to lead in the non-resi-
dential painting sector. EPA expects to
publish a proposed rule covering lead-
based paint activities in bridges and struc-
tures in September, 1999. At the same
time, EPA will continue to gather infor-
mation to better characterize lead-based
paint in buildings before proceeding with
a proposed rule to cover public and com-
mercial buildings.
March 1999
Page 5
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(Us©
REGION'S CORNER
Region VIM Steps Up Section
1018 Enforcement Inspections
by Lee Harston, Region VIII
Over the past several months, EPA Re
gion VIII has sent out approximately
400 letters to property managers, landlords
and realtors informing them that they may
be subject to the 1018 Disclosure Rule and
indicating that they will be in their neigh-
borhood conducting random inspections
for violations of the rule. The letter explains
the requirements and applicability of the
rule as well as explaining the benefits of
serf-disclosing their violations and receiv-
ing penalty reductions and waivers under
EPA's Small Business Policy and Audit
HUD Highlights
An Interview (January 12)
with Dolline Hatchett,
Community Outreach Officer,
Office of Lead Hazard Control, HUD
by Susan Laing and Fran Jonesi
Q: Dolline, thanks for meeting with us
today. What have you been doing lately
which might be of interest to EPA's RLC's?
A: I was invited to Atlanta recently to
talk about HUD's initiatives—actually, it was
one of your pilot Child Health Champion
School programs. One interesting facet of
this community was its dense populations of
churches—which is a great vehicle to use to
get information to large and diverse groups
about lead poisoning prevention.
Q: We have had inquiries about the
availability of HUD's Healthy Homes TV
Ads. Can you tell us a little about them?
A: In 1998, Secretary Cuomo announced
a new rife saving initiative that is using TV
commercials, newspaper ads, millions of bro-
chures and a toll-free information line to help
parents protect their children from potential
dangers in their homes. The dangers associ-
Policy. As a follow-up to this letter, Re-
gion 8 has conducted approximately 300
inspections and determined that about half
of those facilities inspected are out of com-
pliance. The region accomplished the in-
spections through a grant provided by
OECA in the amount of $60,000 for 1018
Disclosure Rule compliance inspections.
TechLaw Inc. was contracted to conduct
inspections of apartment building manage-
ment firms and Real Estate firms in the
metro Denver area. TechLaw conducted
431 inspections, mostly of apartment com-
plexes. In addition to these inspections,
Region VIII recently sent a packet of lead-
based paint disclosure information to 2150
real estate firms in the Denver, CO area.
ated with lead poisoning are featured in this
"Healthy Homes" initiative. To obtain a copy
of the brochure, you can call 1-800-HUDS-
FHA.
Q: What else is involved in the Healthy
Homes project?
A: We have worked with Home Depot
(702 stores), Lowes (460 stores), and ACE
Hardware stores (over 1,000 independently
owned stores) to have displays put in their
stores. We will also be making the local and
national Lead Hazard Awareness grant an-
nouncement very soon which will build on
these partnerships to increase lead awareness
among America's families.
Q: That brings up a question about our
two excellent posters: "Before you Reno-
vate, Investigate," and "Something is Dan-
gerously Wrong with this picture." Are
these available, and if so, how?
A: You can review copies of the posters
from the National Lead Infomration Center
(NLIQ by calling 1-800-424-LEAD.
Q: Thank you, Dolline, for your time—
we look forward to continuing our part-
nership with you.
Innovative New Materials
Developed with Grant
from Region IX
by Majorie Xavier, Region IX
Last year, EPA Region 9 awarded a se-
ries of grants to various state and local
agencies. A full color, 11" x 11" 1999
Calendar has been developed by the CA
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention
Branch of the CA Department of Health
Services. Children's artwork from a Poi-
son Prevention Week 1998 poster con-
test sponsored by the Los Angeles
County Lead Program was incorporated.
The Marin Lead Program sponsored the
San Francisco Bay Girl Scout Council
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention
Patch. To earn a patch, Girl Scouts dis-
tributed lead poisoning prevention lit-
erature with Girl Scout cookie sales,
helped assemble Childhood Lead Poi-
soning Prevention Buckets, learned
about lead poisoning at the Public
health Nursing office in preparation for
developing service projects and/or pre-
sentations, and distributed lead poison-
ing prevention literature. Marin County
also developed a coloring book entitled
My Book about Staying Safe Around
Lead Coloring Book. The coloring book
is available in English and Spanish. A
Community Organizing for Lead Safe
Neighborhoods Trainers' Manual was
developed by the Contra Costa County,
CA Lead Program, consisting of a 200-
page manual with master copies of hand-
outs.
Key Outreach Activities in Region
IV Addressing Childhood Lead
Poisoning
by Wayne Garfinkel, Region IV
Two environmental health fairs were held
as part of the Children's Health Cham-
pion Campaign in Prichard, AL. The ex-
hibits included materials and educational
activities addressing childhood lead poi-
soning and other children's environmen-
Page 6
March 1999
-------
REGION'S CORNER
tal health issues. Local schools partici-
pated in these programs which were at-
tended by more than 500 children.
During a ceremony held during the
Christmas Environmental Fair, the
Mayor proclaimed that the abandoned
park, which was reclaimed by Neighbor-
hood Volunteers and the City, would be
designated as a Child Health Champion
Park. This park, which is located within
the community with the highest inci-
dence of childhood lead poisoning, will
be used as a satellite environmental
health learning center during the imple-
mentation phase of the campaign this
year. Approximately half of the children
under the age of six who had their blood
tested during the fair had elevated blood
lead levels. Food was donated by local
companies and Christmas treats and
balloons were distributed to all children
tested.
Several education and outreach activi-
ties were conducted by the Region 4 dur-
ing Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.
EPA together with the state Housing and
Urban Development (HUD), Medicaid
and Childhood Lead Offices in Region 4
circulated information on preventing
childhood lead poisoning using press re-
leases, newsletters, posters and direct
mailings to inform the higher risk popu-
lation of the concerns associated with
childhood lead poisoning. The week's
education programs conducted in the Sam
Nunn Atlanta Federal Center concluded
with a lead fair which include exhibits
from the EPA, the Agency for Toxic Sub-
stances and Disease Registry (ATSDR),
the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention (CDC), and HUD. The events
included a Children's Lead Police Choir
presentation involving an inner city sum-
mer school program, short presentations
by EPA and Health & Human Services
(HHS) management and lead paint test-
ing for samples brought to the exhibit.
Region Vll's Lead Activities
by Lenore Carroll, Region VII
The Lead Outreach Team received the
completed story/coloring books for out-
reach to pre-school children. The book-
let, entitled "Charlie Goes to Town," will
be used in presentations to day care cen-
ters and other community outlets to pro-
mote awareness of the danger of lead
among children and other high-risk
groups. The booklet is simple and con-
veys the message of how to recognize
the danger of lead-based paint as well
as easy steps to follow to remain lead
safe. "Charlie Goes to Town" is avail-
able though the Government Printing
Office and can be ordered and used by
the public. The demand for these color-
ing books has been so great that a sec-
ond printing has been arranged. Please
call Lenore Carroll at 913-551-7538 for
more information.
Region III Implements Compliance
Assistance Plan
by Gerallyn Vails, Region III
Region III conducts both targeted and
general outreach and compliance assis-
tance activities in an effort to reach the
regulated community. Philadelphia is the
Region's largest city with almost 10% of
housing having lead-based paint. Region
III has learned that most reported in-
stances of childhood lead poisonings in
the Region occur in rental units. To in-
form groups of landlords of disclosure re-
quirements, the Region has forged
partnerships and awarded grants to many
organizations in Philadelphia, which in
turn, conduct outreach to community and
church groups in high-risk areas and pro-
vide information on lead and other envi-
ronmental child health issues. Nearly a
half million families and their landlords
have received information on the disclo-
sure rule through the efforts of these lo-
cal partners in the two years that this
project has been underway. The Region
currently is working with professional or-
ganizations with the expectation of
reaching their landlord affiliates. We are
pursuing the use of some of their com-
March 1999
munication vehicles such as chapter
newsletters, web sites, trade shows,
and speaking engagements at chapter
meetings. In an effort to reach land-
lords in Philadelphia, the Region re-
cently mailed flyers to every registered
rental property owner informing them
about their responsibilities under both
the federal and city lead disclosure laws.
Response from landlords to this initia-
tive, represented in the 2500 calls re-
ceived, was tremendous. A second
mailing is planned after we develop a
combined disclosure form designed to
meet both federal and local lead disclo-
sure requirements.
The Region recently began to work
with the media in an effort to conduct
compliance activities aimed at the gen-
eral public. Last summer, Channel 10
television, an NBC affiliate, interviewed
us when we issued our first two 1018
complaints and conducted the mailing de-
scribed above to all Philadelphia land-
lords. The story aired numerous times.
We have also spoken on several radio talk
shows and distributed several
three-minute, pre-recorded "radio spots"
to 37 radio stations throughout the Re-
gion. These radio spots, which are re-
corded in both English and Spanish, also
were sent to the ten EPA Regional Press
Offices, and are available for use through-
out the country. We are also speaking di-
rectly to landlords in local forums and
currently are in the process of develop-
ing a flyer that is intended to raise aware-
ness of 1018 requirements which will be
distributed to landlords in Pittsburgh.
Region III plans to continue to con-
duct compliance assistance with property
owners and is looking at ways to partner
with other entities, such as HUD, in sup-
porting future compliance assistance ac-
tivities. We intend to work on
developing products that would effec-
tively be used to inform the regulated
community and making these and other
products available to local organiza-
tions. We also plan to integrate our Dis-
closure Rule compliance assistance
efforts with forthcoming TSCA 406 com-
pliance assistance activities, as many
rental property owners will have obli-
gations under both rules.
• Page 1
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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency 2201A
Washington, D.C. 20460
Official Business
Pentalty for Private Use $300
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HEADQUARTERS LEAD-BASED PAINT STAFF
CONTACT LIST
National Program Chemicals Division, OPPT
John Schwemberger 202-260-7195
Ellie Clark 202-260-3402
Dayton Eckerson202-260-1591
Jonathan Jacobson
Traci Brown
Megan Carroll
Paul Cestone
Georgene Cooper
Susan Laing
Robert Wright
202-260-3779
202-260-8487
202-260-7269
202-260-1923
202-260-3904
202-260-0248
202-260-7800
Toxic and Pesticide Enforcement Division,
Office of Regulatory Enforcement
Claude Walker 202-564-4042
Rose Burgess 202-564-4049
Shana Arnold 202-564-4039
Samuel Wiggins 202-564-4163
Chemical, Commercial Services and
Municipal Division, Office of Compliance
Fran Jonesi 202-564-7043
Michelle Angelich 202-564-7033
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