Lead Based Paint

EPA — National – An official for the EPA has ruled that two home renovation companies must pay civil penalties to resolve violations of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act. According to EPA, Superior Restoration and Construction LLC of Overland Park, Kansas, must pay $44,680; and Askins Development Group LLC of St. Louis, Missouri, must pay $42,003. In each case, EPA alleged that the renovators failed to comply with regulations intended to reduce the hazards of lead-based paint exposure resulting from renovations. Both companies also failed to respond to multiple attempts by EPA to engage in discussions to resolve the violations, including failure to answer administrative complaints issued by EPA. For the full text, click here.

Colorado Politics by Michael Karlik

Colorado Springs, CO – The federal appeals court based in Denver agreed that a Colorado Springs landlord must comply with an order to provide records to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which is investigating whether he properly disclosed lead paint to tenants.

David H. Zook, who is the manager of the company that owns 806 E. Boulder St., has resisted the EPA’s request for documents. He characterized the investigation as an egregious abuse of authority based on a disgruntled tenant’s complaint, and argued, mistakenly, that chipped lead paint inside a home is not addressed under federal law.

 For the full text, click here.

Department of Justice

Richmond, IN – Jeffrey Delucio, 54, of Richmond, Indiana, was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison for violating the Toxic Substance Control Act, specifically the provisions of the Act concerning lead paint renovations, and for obstructing justice by fabricating records to obstruct a federal grand jury. According to court documents, Delucio operated Aluminum Brothers Home Improvements in Richmond, Indiana, which received federal grant money from the HUD to mitigate lead paint hazards in older low-to-middle income homes. Delucio admitted in federal court that he and other Aluminum Brothers workers he supervised failed to follow these laws while conducting multiple the HUD-funded renovations in Richmond. For the full text, click here.

Courier-Journal by Billy Kobin

Louisville, KY – Nearly 10,000 children in Louisville from 2005 to 2021 tested positive for elevated levels of lead in their blood. But that figure is likely higher when accounting for decreased funding for screenings and many families lacking access to regular preventative care, according to Metro Government officials. Louisville lawmakers are now seeking to fight back against lead, a neurotoxin the American Academy of Pediatrics and other public health bodies warn can, even at low exposure levels, impact a child’s cognitive development, impulse control, literacy skills, concentration and physical growth. For the full text, click here.

EPA Washington, DC

EPA released the Spanish edition of the Lead Awareness in Indian Country: Keeping our Children Healthy! Curriculum (or Plan de estudios de concientización sobre el plomo in Spanish), a set of educational tools and community-based resources to reduce childhood lead exposure. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to expanding access to information and protecting all communities impacted by lead exposure and other public health issues. Spanish-speaking communities and families across the United States, including Puerto Rico, can now use the Curriculum to improve their understanding of lead’s potential impacts on children’s health and encourage actions to reduce or prevent childhood lead exposure. For the full text, click here.

EPA Washington, DC

This week EPA launched the Renovate Lead-Safe Media Kit to prevent lead exposure when performing and promoting renovation, repair and painting (RRP) projects on homes built before 1978. The kit contains important information and messaging that can be used on social media and other sharing platforms. As expressed in EPA’s Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities in U.S. Communities, the Agency is using various methods—including the development of new and improved outreach materials—to reduce lead exposure and educate communities on the risks of lead exposure. For the full text, click here.

EPA Washington, DC

As part of National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highlighted several federal enforcement actions completed from October 2021 through September 2022, as well as future planned investigations. These actions ensure that renovation contractors, landlords and realtors comply with rules that protect the public from exposure to lead from lead paint. By bringing companies into compliance with these rules, EPA protects future customers and their families. For the full text, click here.

Paint Square EPA Region 10

As a result of being found in violation of lead-based paint safety regulations, 22 residential home renovators and contractors from Idaho and Washington recently settled with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 10. The fines are a result of the EPA’s compliance and enforcement program having conducted 137 inspections of home renovation contractors. According to the EPA, the number of inspections is the highest the region has completed in previous years. Half of the inspections were reportedly carried out in communities with environmental justice concerns. For the full text, click here.

EPA Portsmouth, VA

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advancing environmental justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is targeting its Enhancing Lead-Safe Work Practices through Education and Outreach (ELSWPEO) initiative to raise awareness about childhood lead exposure and protect environmentally overburdened communities. The next Mid-Atlantic ELSWPEO opportunity is scheduled for Portsmouth, Virginia.  For the full text, click here.

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advancing environmental justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is targeting its Enhancing Lead-Safe Work Practices through Education and Outreach (ELSWPEO) initiative to raise awareness about childhood lead exposure and protect environmentally overburdened communities. The next Mid-Atlantic ELSWPEO opportunity is scheduled for Portsmouth, Virginia.  For the full text, click here.

WRGB Albany by Conor Wight

Syracuse, NY -In Syracuse, hundreds of kids become lead poisoned in their own homes every year. The city has one of the highest rates of teen violence in the country. Syracuse researchers and activists are now looking to show the two tragic realities are intertwined and that removing lead from homes will ultimately save lives that would have otherwise been lost in homicides. Syracuse University’s Dr. Rubenstein and Dr. Sandra Lane have spent decades researching the impact lead has on children and the resulting domino effect on the local public health and safety infrastructure. For the full text, click here.