Feds Help Memphis to Combat Killer

Many people living in homes built before 1978 are unaware of the potential silent killer lurking on their walls. What once made their living room sparkle now has the ability to inflict serious harm upon residents. Called, “a silent crippler,” by Mayor Wharton, lead paint is a very serious concern for those still living in houses whose walls are adorned with it. Through revitalization of these houses, this toxic paint can be eliminated and a once dangerous house can return to its proper function of being a home.

The City of Memphis has recently been awarded a three million dollar Lead Hazard Control (LHC) Grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to both evaluate and eliminate hazardous lead paint in old homes across the city. The grant allows the city to inspect and eradicate the lead paint hazard in up to 350 houses.

Lead paint is found in older homes where it was once used to help beautify the walls. It becomes hazardous when it begins to come off the walls or is turned into poisonous dust when it comes into contact with fixtures such as windows or doors. If the lead paint on the walls appears to be in good shape in might not currently be hazardous but once it starts to deteriorate it starts to become a health risk to both adults and children.

Lead Paint Abatement

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists several hazards of lead paint including harm to children and babies even before they are born as well as harm to anyone who is exposed to it.  According to the EPA not all age groups are affected the same. Children are especially at risk because of their tendency to put their hands that might be covered in lead dust, in their mouths and the high absorption of lead into their bodies. Children’s brains and nervous systems are at the highest risk of lead exposure. This causes kids who have been exposed to lead poisoning to fall behind in school and maybe drop out by hindering their math or reading skills. Memphis cannot afford to have more children falling behind in school especially from a problem as preventable as lead poisoning. Part of revitalizing the city is making sure the youth can grow up to help sustain this great city one day. If a child has suffered from lead poisoning we may miss out on a young person who can help better the city.

Revitalization has many components including changing the look of an area and, not to be forgotten, updating or rehabilitating existing built structures. Environmentally speaking, leaving existing structures in tact will have a less dramatic impact. This grant is important because it will allow the City of Memphis to take proper steps in revitalizing houses that put residents, who may not be able to afford expensive remodeling, at risk of lead paint poisoning. With this grant we will be able to save houses that may have been torn down.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has reported that the cost for examining lead paint in a home can range from twenty to fifty dollars. This cost is extremely low in comparison to the cost of a person’s health.   Since the cost of testing is so low, it would be advantageous to the community if the city used part of this grant to budget for health screenings to be offered to those living in the houses found to have lead paint in them.  

With the help of the LHC grant, Memphis moves one step close to eradicating lead paint from all homes in the city. Along with the environmental benefits, doing this could not only cause the value of these homes to increase, but it could potentially help out a struggling neighborhood and is that not what revitalization is all about?

Sources:

Callahan, Jody. "Memphis Awarded $3 Million Grant to Evaluate, Eliminate Lead Hazards in Old Homes." Memphis Commercial Appeal. Memphis Commercial Appeal, 20 Sept. 2011. Web. 23 Sept. 2011. <http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/20/memphis-awarded-3-million-grant-evaluate-eliminate/>.

Gemmill, John. "HUDNo.2011-09-15." Hud.gov. United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, 15 Sept. 2011. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. <http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/states/tennessee/news/HUDNo.2011-09-15>.

"Lead Home | Lead in Paint, Dust, and Soil | US EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 24 Sept. 2011. <http://www.epa.gov/lead/>.

"What You Should Know About Lead Based Paint in Your Home: Safety Alert." US Consumer Product Safety Commission. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. <http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5054.html>.