Chicago has historically had a serious lead poisoning problem. This problem stems from? the high concentration of older housing units, high content and volume of lead-based paint used? to stand up to Chicago's extreme weather conditions, and the high concentration of children? living in poorly maintained, low-income rental housing. High soil lead levels resulting from the? use of leaded gasoline by the transportation industry, lead-based paint manufacturing and lead? smelters also contribute to childhood lead exposures in Chicago. To combat this problem,? community advocates and government agencies have worked together to find effective public? policy and community level interventions to eliminate childhood lead poisoning.? Much attention has been given to the overall decrease in rates of lead poisoning among? U.S. children, which is a significant accomplishment for children's health. However, lead? poisoning rates in urban communities are still high and pose a serious threat to the health of inner? cily children. Chicago, the nation's 3r largest city, and one with an old housing stock, has a? serious lead poisoning problem. During 1999-2000, 17.3% of the children tested were found to? have an elevated blood level. The estimated number of children with blood lead levels (BLLs)? grsater than 10 jLig/dL was 53,355. Although it remains difficult to compare data nationally due? to different reporting requirements, the NHANES data from 1999-2000 estimate that 2.2% (or? 434,000 children) of the nation's children have elevated blood lead levels. Based on these? estimates, over 12% of the nation's lead poisoned children resided in the city of Chicago. The? federal strategy to eliminate childhood lead poisoning by 2010 has prioritized the provision of? resources to urban areas including Chicago's inner city neighborhoods. The Chicago Blood? Lead Surveillance (CBLS) system includes blood lead data, birth registry data, environmental? sampling data, medical and environmental management data, Medicaid data, public housing data? and Section 8 housing data. The Chicago Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program? (CLPPP) and partners have used this data to identify target hazards, develop interventions and? monitor Lead Safe Chicago, the citywide plan for eliminating lead poisoning. Lead Safe? Chicago and the Chicago CLPPP use data to focus interventions in our high-risk target areas.? Chicago took a leadership role by developing the first local plan to eliminate childhood? lead poisoning in 2003. The elimination plan entitled Lead Safe Chicago was developed in? partnership with a wide representation of stakeholders including health, environmental and? housing advocates and governmental agencies. The plan has clear and measurable goals and? objectives and is focused around the following four target strategies: (1) Leveraging dollars for? making housing lead safe; (2) Working with Property Owners to establish lead safe housing? standards; (3) Increasing identification of children at risk for lead exposure; and (4) Putting? childhood lead poisoning on decision-makers' radar screen. The Lead Safe Chicago team, under? the leadership of the Chicago CLPPP, will continue implementing the Lead Safe Chicago Plan? until the elimination objectives are met. Progress towards elimination is monitored quarterly by? the Illinois Lead Safe Housing Task Force.? The Chicago CLPPP continues efforts to improve blood lead screening for all children? aged 6 months to 6 years with a special emphasis on young children aged 0-3 years and children? living in the high risk target areas identified in the Lead Safe Chicago plan. The Chicago CLPPP? has developed methods to identify high-risk housing based on previous inspection history,? Chicago Department of Public Health, CLPPP? identification of repeat offenders, data from local housing groups, census data, and on direct? database matching. Specifically, the Chicago CLPPP uses the results of the Medicaid match,? """"""""WIC match and housing database match to identify high risk children, housing and target areas.? The Chicago CLPPP uses this information to identify Medicaid enrolled children who have not? been tested and targets direct outreach to these families.? The Chicago CLPPP case management activities are comprehensive to assure that EBL? children, high-risk children, pregnant women and women of child bearing age are in lead safe? housing. Our case management protocols address primary residences, secondary residences? including grandparents, daycare providers, schools and any residential environments where? children spend more than 6 hours per week. The environmental case management protocol? includes the lead risk assessment per state and federal guidelines, XRF testing, dust wipe? analysis, visual assessment, clearance testing, the development of a maintenance plan to assure? on-going compliance with lead safe housing standards. Risk communication, including lead? safe work practices training, for property owners and tenants is a critical component of the? Chicago CLPPP process because it teaches owners, tenants and families about the risks? associated with the presence of lead-based paint.? Repeat offenders are targeted for environmental inspection and stepped-up enforcement.? Properties that have multiple lead poisoned children over time are referred from joint? enforcement of the lead disclosure rule with USEPA and HUD. These enforcement actions have? resulted in several Supplemental Environmental Projects to support primary prevention efforts.? The Chicago CLPPP works closely with the Metropolitan Tenants Organization (MTO), the? community based agency that operates the city's tenant complaint hot line, to assure that the city? ordinance prohibiting retaliatory evictions is enforced and that tenants have access to Legal Aid? attorneys to represent them in retaliatory eviction cases.? The Chicago CLPPP has a comprehensive primary prevention plan. A central focus of? the Lead Safe Chicago plan is to maximize the number of lead safe housing units by targeting? high-risk housing before children become poisoned. To achieve this goal, the Chicago CLPPP? has a whole building approach which includes identifying high risk buildings, targeting? inspections and enforcement and educating property owners on the Chicago Primary Prevention? ordinance. The primary prevention strategy includes targeting information through hardware? stores to the remodeling and renovation community, providing services to pregnant women and? women of child-bearing age at WIC sites, and addressing non-paint lead hazards including? candy, toy jewelry and traditional medicines.? Lead Safe Chicago and the Chicago CLPPP strategy are built on strong partnerships with? key housing, environmental, health and child advocates and agencies. Key partners include the? Chicago Housing Authority,, Medicaid, WIC, community-based organizations, lead abatement? contractors, hardware stores, tenant's rights groups, landlord groups, the state's Attorney? General's Office, lead abatement contractors, the city's refugee program coordinator, and? universities.? It is important to provide significant resources to the Chicago program because so many? al risk children live in Chicago, and because the Chicago CLPPP interventions and policies have? proven effective, resulting in a total reduction of 17,000 lead poisoning cases between 1997 and? 2003.?
