Effects of HUD-supported lead hazard control interventions in housing on children's blood lead

• Published in: Environmental research 2011-02, Vol.111 (2), p.301-311
• Main Authors: Clark, Scott, Galke, Warren, Succop, Paul, Grote, JoAnn, McLaine, Pat, Wilson, Jonathan, Dixon, Sherry, Menrath, William, Roda, Sandy, Chen, Mei, Bornschein, Robert, Jacobs, David
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age Factors; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Blood lead; Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases; Child, Preschool; Children; Dust - analysis; Dwellings; Environmental Exposure - legislation & jurisprudence; Environmental Exposure - prevention & control; Environmental Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Environmental Pollutants - analysis; Environmental Pollutants - blood; Environmental Pollution - legislation & jurisprudence; Environmental Pollution - prevention & control; Exteriors; Female; Hazards; Housing; Housing - legislation & jurisprudence; Housing - statistics & numerical data; Housing intervention; Humans; Infant; Intervention studies; Lead - analysis; Lead - blood; Lead hazard control; Lead Poisoning - epidemiology; Lead Poisoning - prevention & control; Lead poisoning prevention; Male; Medical sciences; Metals and various inorganic compounds; Models, Biological; Multivariate Analysis; Paint - analysis; Paint lead; Safety Management - legislation & jurisprudence; Safety Management - methods; Seasons; Strategy; Toxicology
• ISSN: 0013-9351; 1096-0953
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2010.11.003

The Evaluation of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Program studied the effectiveness of the housing intervention performed in reducing the blood lead of children at four post-intervention times (6-months, 1-year, 2-years, and 3-years). A repeat measures analysis showed that blood lead levels declined up to three-years post-intervention. The results at each successive collection time were significantly lower than at the previous post-intervention time except for the difference between the levels at two and three years. At two-years post-intervention, geometric mean blood lead levels were approximately 37% lower than at pre-intervention. Children with pre-intervention blood lead levels as low as 10 μg/dL experienced substantial declines in blood lead levels. Previous studies have found substantial improvements only if a child's pre-intervention blood lead level was above 20 μg/dL. Individual interior lead hazard control treatments as grouped by Interior Strategy were not a significant predictor of post-intervention blood lead levels. However, children living in dwellings where exterior lead hazard control interventions were done had lower blood lead levels at one-year post-intervention than those living in dwellings without the exterior interventions (all other factors being equal), but those differences were only significant when the mean exterior paint lead loading at pre-intervention was about the 90th percentile (7.0 mg/cm 2). This observation suggests that exterior lead hazard control can be an important component of a lead hazard control plan. Children who were six to eleven months of age at pre-intervention had a significant increase in blood lead at one-year post-intervention, probably due to other exposures. ► Blood lead levels declined up to three-years post-intervention. ► Two-years post-intervention blood lead levels 37% lower than at pre-intervention. ► Children at 10 μg/dL pre-intervention blood lead declined post-intervention. ► Exterior lead hazard control at 7.0 mg/cm 2 paint lead reduced blood lead levels.