World-Herald editorial: Increasing lead awareness

Lead poisoning, a healthful indoor atmosphere and children will be the focus next month of Omaha’s first conference on lead and making homes a better place to live. The session, which will bring together organizations dealing with healthful homes as well as lead, is sure to raise awareness and interest in the community.

Topics at the conference being held at the University of Nebraska at Omaha will range from research, including the connection between childhood lead exposure and later violent crime, to ideas for action. The Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance organized the two-day event with more than a dozen partners, including the Nebraska Energy Assistance Network and the Healthy Indoor Environmental Coalition of the Heartland.

One intent of convention organizers is to use the event as a call to action, a rallying point for testing all children for lead and creating strategies to address problems in the Omaha area. Another goal, according to Kara Eastman of the alliance, is to encourage a more holistic approach to in-home pollutants — not only lead but also radon, mold, formaldehyde and others.

Eastman said that data indicate 90 percent of the cases of children with lead poisoning involve interior lead, often in the form of dust or contamination from lead paint in walls and on woodwork. Children exposed to lead are less likely to graduate from high school, among other effects.

An act as simple as a child pulling himself up with a window sill can transfer lead dust from the sill to the child’s hands and, possibly, to his mouth.

Conference attendees also will consider the relationship between energy efficiency and indoor air problems, which can result if a home is too thoroughly weatherproofed. Eastman said there are many ways to balance efficiency and air quality.

Many potential fixes for the problems of indoor lead, radon and such are relatively inexpensive, she said. Ventilation can do it. Merely painting over the lead-based paint already in the home is a great help. Also, placing children on a blanket when they play on the floor, Eastman said, can really cut down on the amount of lead dust they pick up.

“Green” household cleaners and similar products also can help relieve indoor air problems, she said. Some chemicals in the products typically used in homes can cause respiratory or allergy problems, while some are suspected of causing more long-term difficulties.

Such responsible changes can actually help save money, she said. Health costs go down. Long-term property maintenance costs and the cost of energy can be lower for the home that is made more efficient and safe.

During the conference, Omaha’s new online Housing Registry will be announced and discussed. It is “an innovative and one-of-a-kind online program designed to recognize property owners (who) have conducted lead-safe renovations,” according to conference literature.

The conference, scheduled for March 15 and 16, will highlight the many resources available in Omaha to make children’s homes a better, more healthful and nurturing place. Its focus not only on the problem but on practical, affordable solutions in many instances is welcome indeed.

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