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I feel like a bad parent making my children sick. I don’t even like to think about it.
Don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault. Lead poisoning is easy to miss. Once you accept that lead poisoning is not your fault, then you can act.
Get your children tested. If they have blood lead levels higher than 10 µg/dL, take further action. Talk to your local health department.
Tear out “Things You Can Do to Prevent Lead Poisoning” from the last page of this handbook and put it on your refrigerator, or in a place where you can see it every day. Try to follow the suggestions there.
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All this information is so overwhelming. I don’t know what to do!
There is a lot to know about lead. But do not feel overwhelmed by the information. It’s here for you to know about so that you can decide what to do. Take it all a step at a time. Start with getting your children tested. When you get the test results, you’ll know whether you have to take further action right away.
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What else can I do to help stop lead poisoning in my neighborhood?
Get together with your neighbors. Decide what to do. Talk to your local health officer, public health nurse, lead inspector, and to your doctor. Maybe you can set up a blood screening drive to get people tested in your neighborhood or project. Contact the local and state health departments. Maybe you can get the local health department to inspect a number of houses or apartments in your neighborhood at once. Find out who is in charge of housing in your town. Set up a meeting with that person about lead, or bring up the problem at a town meeting.
Talk to someone at your local house of worship. Maybe you can set up a “safe house” at which families can stay while lead removal is done at their apartment or house. Call your local Legal Services office. Call your local Head Start group. Reach out to the legislators and public officials at the local, county, and national levels who are there to serve you.
Come up with other ideas. But don’t wait, because the tragedy of lead is that the harm to you and your children cannot be undone. By acting now, you can prevent future harm.
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If I want to get a group of neighbors together, are there some materials I can use so we can learn more about lead?
You can contact the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Office for Prevention of Mental Retardation and Development Disabilities, at (609) 689-1939, for a list of their materials that can be used for group discussions. You can also review and print their publications at their Web site.
UMDNJ-SOM's Children's Health and Injury Prevention Program provides free Lead Poisoning Prevention Educational Workshops for parents and community organizations. The Program also sponsors the Lead Exploratorium, a free traveling exhibit for teaching preschool and early elementary school children about lead poisoning prevention. The Exploratorium is available for daycare centers, preschools, and community events. For more information or to schedule the Exploratorium, call (609) 984-3349.
The Children's Health and Injury Prevention Program also provides one- or two-day free “Train the Trainer" workshops to strengthen presentation skills for people who are teaching others about preventing lead poisoning and injury prevention.
You might also want to read “The Hour of Lead,” published in 1992 by the Environmental Defense Fund in Washington, DC. This booklet gives a brief history of lead poisoning in the United States and describes the lead industry’s attempts to delay regulation. Printed copies are available for $5 from:
Environmental Defense Fund
Toxic Clinical Program
1875 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20009
The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services puts out a brochure called “Questions Parents Ask about Lead Poisoning.” You can get copies by calling them at (609) 292- 5666 or by calling your local health department.
You also might want to get copies of the other publications listed in this handbook.
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How do I look up the laws on lead poisoning?
Every county courthouse has a law library that you can use. State laws (called “statutes”) on lead paint are in New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.), a set of green books. This is where you can find some of the key laws in New Jersey on lead poisoning:
- Lead-Paint Prohibitions—Volume 24, Chapter 14A (N.J.S.A. 24:14A)
- Lead Evaluation and Abatement—Volume 26, Chapter 2Q (N.J.S.A. 26:2Q)
- Lead Hazard Control Assistance Act—Volume 52, Chapter 27D, Section 437 (N.J.S.A. 52:27D-437)
- Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund—Volume 52, Chapter 27D, Section 437.6 (N.J.S.A. 52:27D-437.6)
- Lead Hazard Evaluation and Abatement—Volume 52, Chapter 27D, Sections 124 and 436 (N.J.S.A. 52:27D-124; 436)
- Maintenance and Inspection of Hotels and Multiple Dwellings—Volume 55, Chapters 13A, Sections 6(e), 7, and 13 (N.J.S.A. 55:13A-6(e); 7; 13)
- Right To Know (Toxic Substances)—Volume 34, Chapter 5A (N.J.S.A. 34:5A)
- Medicaid Coverage—Volume 30:3D (N.J.S.A. 30:4D)
- Local Authority to Abate Nuisance—Volume 26, Chapter 3-46 (N.J.S.A. 26:3-46)
- Childhood Lead Testing—Volume 26, Chapter 2, Section 137 (N.J.S.A. 26:2-137)
State regulations are rules passed by state agencies such as the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. Regulations usually specify how the statute will be implemented and they are treated as law. New Jersey’s regulations are called the New Jersey Administrative Code (N.J.A.C.) and they are in blue loose-leaf binders in law libraries. These are some of the important regulations about lead poisoning:
- Lead Hazard Evaluation and Abatement—Title 5, Chapter 17 (N.J.A.C. 5:17)
- Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund (Relocation and Housing Registry)—Title 5, Chapter 48 (N.J.A.C. 5:48)
- Maintenance and Inspection of Hotels and Multiple Dwellings—Title 5, Chapter 10 (N.J.A.C. 5:10)
- Right To Know (Toxic Substances)—Title 8, Chapter 59 (N.J.A.C. 8:59)
- Medicaid Coverage—Title 10, Chapter 49 (N.J.A.C. 10:49)
- Childhood Lead Testing—Title 8, Chapters 51 and 51A (N.J.A.C. 51; 51A)
- Certification of Workers—Title 8, Chapter 62 (N.J.A.C. 8:62)
Some cities, such as Newark and Paterson, have lead paint ordinances (citywide laws). These ordinances may or may not be in the law library. Call your city council and ask for a copy of your city’s ordinance if it has one.
The federal (national) government also has laws (statutes) limiting use of lead paint. They are in a set of dark red books called United States Code Annotated (U.S.C.A.). These federal statutes set out the minimum standards that must be met:
- Residential Lead-Based Paint and Disclosure Laws—Volume 42, Sections 4821 to 4856 (42 U.S.C.A. 4821 through 4856)
- Medicaid Coverage—Volume 42, Section 1396d(r) (42 U.S.C.A. 1396d(r)
Federal regulations about lead paint poisoning are in volume 24 of Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.), a set of paperback volumes that vary in color each year. The regulations about disclosure of known lead hazards on the sale or lease of housing are in volume 24, part 35, subpart A. The regulations about lead paint in HUD-associated housing are in volume 24, part 35, subparts B through M. Each subpart covers a different type of HUD housing, such as public housing (subpart L), Section 8 existing housing (subpart M), and project-based Section 8 (subpart H). Subpart R has the standards for testing for lead and removing lead hazards. Regulations banning lead in paint and other products are in volume 16, section 1303. Federal regulations can be accessed online. If you need help finding these books, ask the law librarian.
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