Healthy Living > Adult, Children & Infant Health > Lead Poisoning Prevention & Control

PA Healthy Homes Program

The PA Healthy Homes Program (HHP) seeks to create environmentally safe and healthy housing for young children by addressing environmental health and safety issues in low-income homes. Through in-depth environmental home assessments, the program:

reduces hazards such as mold, mildew, dust mites, pests, and lead paint and dust, thereby reducing asthma triggers, and consequently asthmatic episodes.
educates families about injury prevention and environmental health hazards such as carbon monoxide and radon, and equips them with the tools to deal with these issues.
strives to change behaviors around environmental health and safety hazards by distributing information regarding these hazards, identifying the hazards, by assessments or remediation, and explaining how to prevent or reduce the effect of hazards.

As a target population, low-income, young children are particularly vulnerable to health complications associated with unhealthy home environments. In 2000, Pennsylvania’s 1,043,455 children under seven years of age placed seventh in the nation for having the most children in that age group.

Pennsylvania’s diverse landscape of rural and urban communities includes some of the oldest housing in the nation. Indoor environmental health and safety hazards tend to be found disproportionately in housing that is older and substandard. According to the 2000 Census, Pennsylvania was second in the nation for having the most housing units built before 1950 (behind only New York). Pennsylvania’s 2,113,422 pre-1950 built units account for approximately 40% of its entire housing stock. The correlation of high lead levels with older housing is very strong.

Lead paint was not banned until 1978; therefore, many of Pennsylvania’s homes hold potentially hazardous sources of lead exposure. Recent studies have shown that even low blood lead levels in young children are more dangerous than previously thought. In 2007, 5,833 (or, 4.6%) of the state’s 126,522 lead-tested children under six years of age had a maximum blood lead level result equal to, or greater than, the established threshold of elevation (10 micrograms per deciliter).

Statewide, in 2000, hospitalizations associated with asthma for children less than five (5) years of age occurred at the rate of 51.74 per 10,000 population. Asthma triggers such as mold, mildew, and dust mites continue to disproportionately impact the most vulnerable populations living in the oldest Pennsylvania housing. The need to address indoor environmental health and safety hazards is evident.

With targeted intervention in the specific areas of Philadelphia and Erie, resources are efficiently maximized to target the widest scope of at-risk populations. The program contacts families in Erie and Philadelphia, and will eventually enroll 100 families. Of these 100 families, 85 will have their homes assessed, and 42 homes will have remediation of their environmental health and safety hazards. It is expected that by the end of the three year project the program will:

lead to a measurable reduction in allergen and moisture levels, as well as producing a reduction in asthmatic episodes.
change behaviors around environmental health and safety hazards by distributing information regarding these hazards, identifying the hazards, by assessments or remediation, and explaining how to prevent or reduce the effect of hazards.

Through meetings, dialogue, and projects with foster care agencies, community and faith-based organizations, and local governments, the program not only raises awareness and understanding, but also creates an infrastructure to better assist future work towards reducing and eliminating environmental health and safety hazards.

Seven Principles of Healthy Housing

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