Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116826

Peter J. Ashley, DrPH¹, Warren Joel Strauss, ScM², Amy Murphy, MPH³, Jean Wendt³, Pat McLaine, RN, MPH⁴, Warren Galke, PhD⁵, John Menkedick², and Timothy Pivetz, MS². (1) Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, The US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Room P3206, 451 7th St., SW, Washington, DC 20410, 202.755.1785, x115, Peter_J._Ashley@hud.gov, (2) Statistics and Data Analysis Systems, Battelle Memorial Institute, 505 King Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201, (3) Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, Milwaukee Health Department, 841 North Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202, (4) The National Center for Lead-Safe Housing, 10227 Wincopin Circle, Suite 205, Columbia, MD 45267, (5) The National Children's Study, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 6100 Executive Blvd., Room 5C01, Bethesda, MD 20892

Research has shown that blood-lead levels (BLL) below 10 ug/dL are associated with cognitive impairment in young children, emphasizing the importance of preventing lead exposure. This study was designed to assess the primary prevention effectiveness of low cost lead hazard control (LHC) treatments in high risk, pre-1950 Milwaukee housing. Treated housing was located in two neighborhoods covered by an ordinance requiring LHC treatments in older rental housing and in other similar neighborhoods. Mothers with infants living in treated homes were recruited into the prospective study (PS) and followed until the children were 24 months old (dust-wipe and children's blood-Pb samples were obtained at four, 6-month intervals). A comparison group was identified of children living in similar untreated homes who had been screened at 12 months of age. They were re-screened at 24 months of age and dust-wipe samples were collected in their homes (the scheduled screening (SS) population). Dust-wipe samples collected at 24-months showed significantly lower window sill and trough dust-lead levels in PS vs. SS homes (GMs of 120 vs. 558 ug/ft2 for sills and 120 vs. 14,859 ug/ft2 for troughs); however, floor-dust Pb levels were similar in the two groups (12.7 and 14.4 ug/ft2 for PS and SS homes, respectively). Covariate adjusted longitudinal analyses showed significantly lower mean BLLs in PS vs. SS children at 12 and 18 months, but not at 24 months (possibly due to attrition). Overall, children in treated homes did not have a significantly lower risk of EBL compared to the SS population.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify a strategy for evaluating the primary prevention effectiveness of standardized lead hazard control treatments.
• Describe an ethical approach for constructing an untreated comparison group in a lead hazard control study.
• Articulate the limitations of low cost lead hazard control strategies.

Keywords: Lead, Interventions

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.