Lead Paint Threat: County Receives Grant

ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA — The Alameda County Healthy Homes Department, which provides services to prevent lead poisoning and promotes healthy home environments, has received a $25,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for advanced training programs in lead renovation, repair and painting, the EPA announced Thursday.

With the grant, the ACHHD -- working with the California Association of Code Enforcement Officers -- will provide at least three training courses to 120 code enforcement officers around the state.

The officers will learn how to incorporate lead-safety requirements into their inspections, respond to unsafe renovation complaints and improve compliance with lead regulations.

This training "is a critical way to keep residents and workers safe during projects that often create hazardous lead dust," Mike Stoker, EPA's Pacific Southwest regional administrator, said in a statement.

Such safeguards are particularly helpful in places with older housing stock, he said.

Lead exposure is known to cause a range of adverse health effects and is particularly dangerous for children under the age of 6 because their nervous systems are still developing, the EPA said.

Lead exposure can cause behavior and learning problems, slowed growth, hearing problems and diminished IQ. Children can be checked for lead with a simple blood test.

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— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock