Related Topics
Related Stories
Darren Parmer is passionate about his work.
In response to a question about the impact lead paint can have on children, the city's certified lead-risk assessor leans forward in his chair and begins, "Now you got me going" before delivering a rapid-fire answer.
His response was related to the settlement reached by the federal Environmental Protection Agency with Lancaster landlord Tony Papadimitriou for his failure to notify tenants of lead-paint hazards that had existed in apartments they were about to rent.
He said publicity regarding the EPA settlement with Papadimitriou is important because, "It brings the issue back up on the radar screen. It's one more way to let people know this is a real issue that they need to take care of."
The federal government banned the use of lead-based paint in 1978, but houses built before then most likely contain lead paint.
Parmer says if the lead paint is still intact, it's not a hazard. But when it starts to break down it becomes a serious health problem.
And it's easy to break down.
"Every time you raise or lower a window, that friction creates dust," Parmer said. "And that dust settles into the window well or on the floor."
Dust that is easily inhaled or ingested.
"Wherever the paint is chipping or peeling," Parmer said, "that's where you want to check."
The problem is not limited only to house paint, Parmer said, citing recent recalls of toys and vinyl window blinds manufactured overseas that were contaminated with lead paint.
According to Suzanne Long, the state's Childhood Lead Prevention Program nurse for Lancaster County, lead affects small children neurologically.
"It can cause learning problems," she said. "ADD/ADHD has been linked to lead exposure. It causes hearing and speech problems. In high levels it can cause seizures. And every 10 milligrams over the normal level [the federal threshold is 20 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood] can diminish a child's IQ by one point.
"Once the damage is done it's irreversible."
Children under the age of 6 receive the greatest scrutiny from government officials and health care professionals for two reasons, Parmer said.
The first is biological.
"Think about it," Parmer said. "The first two years of your life is when your body develops more rapidly than at any other time."
That rapid growth means their bodies absorb more lead, while their developing nervous systems are more vulnerable to its damaging effects.
The second deals with location.
"Small children are crawling or just starting to walk," Parmer said. "They're at the level where that dust collects. They crawl around on the floor, get it on their hands, and put their hands in their mouths.
"They play on the windowsill or maybe are just curious and want to look outside," he added. "They're putting their hands right in that dust."
Lead can be detected either by a surface test — collecting dust and sampling it — or by using an X-ray fluorescent machine.
That machine, Long said, is a hand-held device that can penetrate all surfaces up to three-quarters of an inch deep to detect the existence of lead.
The EPA maintains a Web site (
http://epa.gov/lead) with information on the health effects of lead, how to detect the existence of lead, and steps people can take to protect a family from lead-related hazards.
With the assistance of federal and state programs, Parmer said, the city is reducing the number of reported poisoning cases among children under age of 6.
From 2000-2005, Parmer said, the city averaged 40 reported poisoning cases each year. In the last two years, the city has averaged 12.
A former contractor, Parmer was hired eight years ago to serve as the city's rehabilitation specialist. One year into the job, city officials asked Parmer to become certified as a lead-risk assessor to manage and oversee lead remediation work.
"A lot of people look at this as if it's not a real problem," he said. "But it is a real problem."
While children are the focus of lead-remediation efforts, Parmer said lead poisoning also affects adults, causing high blood pres-sure and hypertension, muscle and joint pain, and problems with reproductive functions.
Chip Smedley is a staff writer for the Sunday News. E-mail him at csmedley@lnpnews.com.
(103)
