{"id":1204,"date":"2014-09-25T13:07:53","date_gmt":"2014-09-25T17:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mde\/?p=1204"},"modified":"2014-09-25T13:07:53","modified_gmt":"2014-09-25T17:07:53","slug":"share-of-lead-poisoning-cases-linked-to-properties-not-previously-covered-by-maryland-law-grows-expansion-of-properties-covered-by-the-law-takes-effect-in-less-than-three-months","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mde\/2014\/09\/25\/share-of-lead-poisoning-cases-linked-to-properties-not-previously-covered-by-maryland-law-grows-expansion-of-properties-covered-by-the-law-takes-effect-in-less-than-three-months\/","title":{"rendered":"Share of Lead Poisoning Cases Linked to Properties Not Previously Covered by Maryland Law Grows; Expansion of Properties Covered by the Law Takes Effect in Less Than Three Months"},"content":{"rendered":"
MEDIA CONTACTS:<\/h5>\n

Jay Apperson<\/strong>
(410) 537-3003<\/a>
jay.apperson@maryland.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Share of Lead Poisoning Cases Linked to Properties Not Previously Covered by Maryland Law Grows; Expansion of Properties Covered by the Law Takes Effect in Less Than Three Months<\/strong><\/p>\n

Department of Environment releases 2013 Childhood Lead Registry report; low number of cases overall shows impact of Maryland\u2019s 1994 law; change in law effective January 1 to address growing share of cases in rental units built after 1949; additional change addresses owner-occupied housing<\/em><\/p>\n

BALTIMORE, MD (September 25, 2014<\/span><\/span>) \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Childhood lead poisoning in Maryland remained at a low number last year, but a growing number of new lead poisoning cases are linked to homes that had not been covered by Maryland\u2019s 1994 lead law, a\u00a0report released today<\/a>\u00a0by the Maryland Department of the Environment shows.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0key change<\/a>\u00a0in Maryland’s lead law \u2013 expanding the type of properties covered by the law to include rental units built prior to 1978 \u2013 takes effect\u00a0January 1, 2015<\/span><\/span>. Moving to protect more children from the health risks associated with lead paint poisoning, the Maryland Department of the Environment has begun accepting applications to\u00a0register properties<\/a>\u00a0that will for the first time be required to comply with the provisions of Maryland lead law.\u00a0
Another change in Maryland\u2019s lead law allows MDE to seek delegation to administer a federal program that regulates renovations in some owner-occupied homes.<\/p>\n

These changes are designed to reduce lead poisoning cases in homes not previously covered under Maryland\u2019s lead law.<\/p>\n

MORE INFORMATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Childhood lead poisoning is a completely preventable disease.<\/p>\n

Exposure to lead is the most significant and widespread environmental hazard for children in Maryland. Children are at the greatest risk from birth to age six while their neurological systems are developing. Exposure to lead can cause long-term neurological damage that may be associated with learning and behavioral problems and with decreased intelligence.<\/p>\n

The number of childhood lead poisoning cases has decreased by 98 percent since the enactment of Maryland\u2019s landmark 1994 Reduction of Lead Risk in Housing Act, but in recent years an increasing share of new lead poisoning cases have been linked to pre-1978 homes that had not been covered by the law.<\/p>\n

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has released the 2013 Maryland Childhood Lead Registry\u00a0Annual Surveillance Report<\/a>. The report shows that the percentage of tested young children with blood levels at or above the level that triggers actions under state law remained at about 0.3 percent.<\/p>\n

The report also shows that more than 110,000 Maryland children were tested in 2013.<\/p>\n

Maryland\u2019s 1994 lead law applies to rental units built before 1950, when lead paint was prohibited in Baltimore City. In Maryland, nearly six of 10 confirmed cases (59 percent) of initial reports of lead poisoning in 2013 involved children living in post-1949 rental housing or owner-occupied housing, compared to 52 percent in 2012.<\/p>\n

Because a significant percentage of new childhood lead poisoning cases are linked to homes built after 1949, the Maryland General Assembly passed\u00a0a bill<\/a>\u00a0in 2012, subsequently signed into law by Governor Martin O\u2019Malley, to expand the universe of properties covered under the law to include rental properties built before 1978, when the use of lead paint was prohibited nationally. That change is effective\u00a0January 1, 2015<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

On July 1, 2014, MDE began accepting registration applications for the rental units that will be covered by the law for the first time. Owners of these properties can register them with MDE online at\u00a0www.mde.maryland.gov\/LeadRegistration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 2012 legislation also allows MDE to seek delegation to administer a U.S.\u00a0Environmental Protection Agency rule<\/a>\u00a0that regulates renovations, repairs and painting in homes that were built\u00a0before 1978, whether they are rental units or owner-occupied, and in pre-1978 facilities with young children. The rule requires contractors who do work on these properties to receive training and use lead-safe work practices. Maryland regulations to allow MDE to administer the federal rule are under development.\u00a0<\/p>\n

CORE FACTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

MDE\u2019s\u00a0Lead Poisoning Prevention Program<\/a>\u00a0serves as the coordinating agency of statewide efforts to eliminate childhood lead poisoning.<\/p>\n

Under the Maryland lead law, MDE assures compliance with mandatory requirements for lead risk reduction in rental units built before 1950; maintains a statewide listing of registered and inspected units; and provides blood lead surveillance through a registry of test results of all children tested in Maryland. The Lead Program also: oversees case management follow-up by local health departments for children with elevated blood lead levels; certifies and enforces performance standards for inspectors and contractors conducting lead hazard reduction; and performs environmental investigations of lead poisoned children. The Lead Program provides oversight for community education to parents, tenants, rental property owners, home owners and health care providers to enhance their roles in lead poisoning prevention.<\/p>\n

Among other data, the annual Childhood Lead Registry survey compiles all blood lead tests conducted on Maryland children up to 18 years of age, and provides blood lead test results to local health departments as needed for case management and planning. Only the data for children under the age of 6 years is used for review of the lead poisoning prevention effort. MDE has compiled this comprehensive assessment on statewide childhood blood lead screening since 1993.<\/p>\n

Key statistics from the\u00a02013 Childhood Lead Registry<\/a>\u00a0annual survey include:<\/p>\n