LEAD HAZARD CONTROL GRANT ~ MULTNOMAH COUNTY
CITY OF PORTLAND AWARDED $4 MILLION LEAD HAZARD GRANT
The Portland Development Commission and the Portland Housing Bureau have received a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to reduce lead-based paint hazards. The Lead Hazard Control Grant provides resources to address lead hazards in 425 low-income households in the metropolitan area.
This new allocation will continue our lead grant program that started in 1998, which has successfully controlled lead hazards in over 1,200 units and helped well over 2,000 families. The program is regional and includes Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington Counties.
A matching contribution from the Portland Water Bureau of $1,425,000 over the three-year life of the grant helps to provide blood lead testing for more than 2,000 at-risk children and provide outreach to 4,500 homes to educate residents about the dangers of lead paint hazards.In Oregon, more than one in every one hundred children have blood-lead levels at or above the lead poisoning level of 10 micrograms per deciliter.
Children in the Portland area are at risk of lead poisoning because almost 88 percent of the housing in Multnomah County was built before 1978 when lead-paint was still used.
A 2001 study by the Multnomah County Health Department examined houses built before 1930 in Multnomah County. Of the homes included in the study, over 70 percent contained lead hazards. There are over 28,000 homes built before 1930 in at-risk neighborhoods where older housing is concentrated. Investigators estimate that more than 6,000 children are at risk for lead poisoning in these neighborhoods alone. Not only does the program work to reduce this hazards, but also seeks to promote job training and economic opportunities for businesses that are involved with the lead abatement program.
October is Lead Poisoning Prevention Month, so take the time to get your children tested for lead. Parents and physicians often do not realize there is a risk of lead exposure, so they do not ask to have young children’s blood tested for elevated lead levels. Parents may not know that their children have high lead levels because generally lead poisoning does not have any noticeable physical symptoms. You can also test your home for lead levels with a free dust wipe kit from PDC. If your home was built before 1978, the simple test can help determine if you have unsafe levels in your home.
To order a free dust wipe kit, visit www.pdc.us/leadhazard or call
503.823.3400. The new grant is expected to roll out this winter, so
visit the website for updates and new information as it becomes
available!
