JACKSON – Research studies show that every year, about a million children fall victim to some type of lead poisoning. Surveys conducted by the Centers For Disease Control estimate that a high percentage of those children affected are black and live in older houses in low income communities.
Statistics also reveal that lead contaminated dust, transferred from hand-to-mouth, is the most significant source of lead exposure for children, even though lead-based paint was banned for residential use more than 30 years ago.
Common renovation activities like sanding, cutting, and demolition can also create hazardous lead dust and chips by disturbing lead-based paint which causes adverse reactions in young children including reduced IQ’s, learning disabilities, developmental delays, and behavioral problems.
Because of these statistics, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) will administer and enforce the Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead Renovation Program.
Mississippi’s Lead-Based Paint Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program (RRP) will be managed by MEDQ’s Air Division.
The program mandates that contractors, property managers, and others working for compensation, in homes and child-occupied facilities built before 1978, must be trained and certified in lead-safe work practices by the State of Mississippi.
They are also required to provide a pamphlet, “Renovate Right; Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers and Schools,” to owners and occupants before starting renovation work.
For more information about Mississippi’s new program, including information on applying for certification or locating training, contact the Mississippi Lead-Based Paint Program at 601-961-5171.
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