Lead Hazard Control Program
Information on the Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services' How the Lead Hazard Control Program can benefit you:
The Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services Department, funded by the Harris County Community Services Development with Community Development Block Grant Funds, administers the Lead Hazard Control Program. This Lead Hazard Control Program benefits low- to moderate-income persons in the Harris County service area.
In Harris County, outside the city limits of Houston, there are about 19,000 children under six years of age, whose family income is below the poverty line. These are the children identified by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as being the most at risk of lead poisoning. One of the main sources of lead contamination is lead-based paint in housing constructed before 1978. Approximately, 55,000 of these houses exist in the Harris County service area.
The goals of this lead hazard control program are to address lead hazards in owner and renter occupied single family residential facilities, educate the public about lead issues, and encourage economic development. The role of the Public Health and Environmental Services Department is to coordinate and manage the overall activities associated with the lead-safe work to be performed. In brief, the services provided by this program include:
- Educating the public and doing outreach about the hazards of lead based paint;
- Conducting case management for children with blood lead levels of 10 ug / dL, or greater, in accordance with guidelines provided by the Center for Disease Control and the Texas Department of Health;
- Coordinating with local health care facilities screenings for lead exposure in children under the age of six;
- Assessing and identifying housing units with lead based paint hazards;
- Implementing lead abatement and relocation (when necessary) for families in housing units where lead hazards are found.
To qualify for help from the Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services, all housing units must be located within the Harris County service area, which includes unincorporated Harris County and the following cities that have signed a cooperative agreement with the County: Bellaire, Deer Park, Galena Park, Humble, Jacinto City, Katy, La Porte, Morgan’s Point, Seabrook, Shoreacres, South Houston, Tomball, Waller, Webster, and West University Place. This includes all of Harris County, except the City of Houston, Pasadena, and Baytown.
Hazard control will be provided through contracting with local firms who are certified with the Texas Department of Health and who have had experience in performing lead abatement work.
In order to qualify, the following information must be provided: