The
Policy and Standards Division of OHHLHC supports research on improving
cost effective methods to identify and control lead-based paint
and other housing-related health and safety hazards with a particular
emphasis on children's health. The OHHLHC supports research primarily
through grants that are competitively awarded through an annual
Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Healthy
Homes Technical Studies and Lead Technical
Studies Program. Project evaluations are also conducted by Healthy
Homes Demonstration Program grantees, some of which are published.
Research is also directed through contracts and is conducted through
agreements with other federal agencies.
Research
Highlights
The
following are highlights of some major research sponsored by the
OHHLHC outside of the competitive grant process that is announced
in the annual NOFA with links to related reports and publications.
Information on research focus areas and results is also available
on the Lead Technical Studies and Healthy
Homes Technical Studies program pages.
Evaluation
of HUD's Lead Hazard Control Grant Program
A study
monitored 1034 dwellings in which lead hazard control interventions
were conducted by 14 Lead Hazard Control program grantees through
a 12-month post-intervention plan, with 278 dwellings followed over
a 36-month period
post-intervention. A follow-up study was conducted on 426 dwellings
treated by four grantees that had participated in the original evaluation
study. Some findings from the original and follow-up evaluations
include the following:
- Geometric
mean dust-lead loadings on floors, window sills, and window troughs
were significantly reduced from pre-intervention levels at the
36-month follow up, with mean lead loadings for floors, window
sills and window troughs of 9, 62, and 363 ?g/ft2, respectively.
- Treatments
were effective at 6 years post-intervention, with geometric mean
dust-lead loadings for floors and window sills, 11% and 23% lower,
respectively, than any previous time following intervention. Higher
intensity treatments resulted in lowers dust-lead loadings on
window surfaces but not on floors.
- Treatments
to both the exterior of the dwelling and to address lead-contaminated
soils were associated with interior lower floor-dust lead loadings.
- The
highest treatment-related failures were observed for painted components
subject to abrasion, impact or weather and for window jamb liners.
- The
blood-lead levels of children living in treated homes declined
an average of 23% one year post-intervention. The HHI also supports
research through contracts and interagency agreements with other
federal agencies.
The National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing
(NSLAH)
In
1998-2000 HUD sponsored a survey of a nationally representative
sample of housing in the U.S. in which children could reside. 831
housing units were evaluated for lead in paint, dust and soil, and
information was collected from residents through a questionnaire.
The National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
partnered with HUD to analyze dust samples for the common household
allergens (i.e., dust mite, cockroach, mouse, cat, dog, Alternaria),
and endotoxin. Findings from the lead, allergen and endotoxin sampling
have been published in peer-reviewed literature. Some major
lead-related findings from NSLAH (discussed further in the
full NSLAH report on analysis of lead hazards) include:
- 38 million housing units (40%) had lead-based paint and 24
million (25%) had significant lead-based paint hazards.
- 1.2 million dwellings with at least one significant lead-based
paint hazard housed low income families with a child under the
age of 6.
- 14% of housing units had significantly deteriorated lead-based
paint, 16% had dust-lead hazards, and 7% had soil-lead hazards.
Reports
on the use
of the survey for determining allergen levels, the
survey design, and several articles on allergen results have
been published, such as on residential
exposure to multiple allergens in regard to asthma, residential
levels of dog and cat allergens, and house
dust mite allergen levels in beds.
First
National Environmental Health Survey of Childcare Centers
HUD
sponsored a national environmental health survey of licensed childcare
centers in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Lead was measured in paint and in dust and soil samples. Dust and
wipe samples were also collected for allergen and pesticide analyses,
respectively. A total of 168 randomly selected licensed daycare
centers were recruited into the study and data were collected from
July - October, 2001. Main lead-related findings from the survey
include:
- Lead-based
paint is present in 28% of childcare centers.
- 14%
of childcare centers have one or more significant lead-based paint
hazards (11% with significantly deteriorated lead-based paint,
3% with dust-lead hazards, and 2% have soil-lead hazards).
- Centers
where the majority of children are African American are four times
as likely (30% compared to 7%) to have significant lead-based
paint hazards compared to those where a majority of children are
white.
Pesticide
results were reported in the following publication: Tulve, N.S.,
Jones, P.A., Nishioka, M.G., et al., Pesticide measurements from
the first national environmental health survey of child care centers
using a multi-residue GC/MS analysis method. Environ Sci Technol.
2006; 40(20): 6189-90.
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HUD-Sponsored
Research by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
The
OHHLHC has sponsored research by NIST on field methods for lead detection
and measurement. The documents listed below can
be ordered through NIST by locating the document and following
the directions provided
- Ultrasonic
Extraction/Anodic Stripping Voltammetry for Determining Lead in
Dust: Analyses of Field-Sampled Wipes. October 2004. (NISTIR
7109).
- Ultrasonic
Extraction/Anodic Stripping Voltammetry for Determining Lead in
Dust: A Laboratory Evaluation. September 2004. (NISTIR
6998).
- Factors
Affecting Ultrasonic Extraction of Lead from Laboratory-Prepared
Household Paint Films: Further Investigations. March 2003. (NISTIR
6948).
- Factors
Affecting Ultrasonic Extraction of Lead from Laboratory-Prepared
Household Paint Films. May 2002. (NISTIR
6834).
- Ultrasonic
Extraction/Anodic Stripping Voltammetry for Determining Lead in
Household Paint: A Laboratory Evaluation. May 2000. (NISTIR
6571).
- Spot
Test Kits for Detecting Lead in household Paint: A Laboratory
Evaluation. May 2000. (NISTIR
6398).
Information
for Researchers
The
OHHLHC strongly encourages researchers who are planning and conducting
housing-related health hazards research in communities to consider
ethical issues associated with their research and to look for opportunities
to involve the community in research planning and implementation.
HUD was the major sponsor of a review by the Institute of Medicine
of ethical considerations for this area of research, resulting in
the publication of a report titled "Ethical
Considerations for Research on Housing-Related Health Hazards Involving
Children".