DIRECTOR OF LEAD OPERATIONS FOR ONONDAGA COUNTY, TO UNCOVER THE FINANCIAL COSTS OF LEAD POISONING.

AND WHAT FUNDS ARE STILL NEEDED IN ORDER TO REMOVE LEAD FROM OUR HOUSING STOCK.

>> LED POISONING IS THE UNFORTUNATE INCIDENTS WHERE PREDOMINANTLY CHILDREN ARE EXPOSED TO LED-BASED PAINT EITHER THROUGH PARTICLES, DUST OR PAINT CHIPS.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DATA SURROUNDING LED POISONING, IT IS NO SECRET THAT AREAS OF LOW INCOME AND AREAS WHERE WE HAVE THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF MINORITY POPULATION ARE NOT ONLY AT MOST RISK OF LED POISONING BECAUSE OF THE CONDITIONS OF THE HOUSING STOCK IN THOSE AREAS BUT WE ARE ALSO SEEING THE TRENDS IN TERMS OF HIGH ED RATE OF POISONING SO IN 2023, WE TESTED ABOUT 4400 CHILDREN.

THOSE 4400 CHILDREN, ABOUT 400 OF THEM CAME BACK AS HAVING ELEVATED BLOOD LEAD LEVELS, SO JUST UNDER SO%.

THAT'S ROUGHLY 222,000 LIFETIME COST BURDEN ON A CHILD THAT WAS EXPOSED AND POISONED BY LEAD-BASED PAINT.

THE AVERAGE UNIT COST FOR REMEDIATION IS ROUGHLY $20,000.

THAT ONLY ADDRESSES HAZARDS THAT ARE FOUND AT THE TIME THE INSPECTION IS COMPLETED.

SO IT'S NOT FULLY ABATING THE PROPERTY.

AND THE STATE IS SAYING IT'S ROUGHLY ON AVERAGE ABOUT $40,000 PER UNIT TO FULLY ABATE A PROPERTY.

MOST FAMILIES, THEY CAN'T AFFORD THE REMEDIATION WORK REQUIRED IN A HOUSEHOLD THAT HAS RISKS OF LEAD EXPOSURE.

OFTEN TIMES IN RENTAL PROPERTIES, IN LOW INCOME AREAS, WE DO SEE THAT HOMES DON'T UNDERGO THE PROPER REMEDIATION.

OVER THE YEARS, THE CITY OF SYRACUSE AND ONONDAGA COUNTY HAVE BEEN APPLYING AND RECEIVING FUNDING FROM HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, SO IT'S FEDERAL FUNDING FOR GRANT PROGRAM FOR LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS TO APPLY THAT HAVE CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF SIX AND SO THROUGH THOSE PROGRAMS, FAMILIES ARE ABLE TO APPLY FOR THE FUNDING SOURCE WHERE WE ASSIGN INSPECTORS TO THE HOME TO IDENTIFY WHERE LEAD-BASED PAINT IS, WHERE HAZARDS EXIST IN THOSE HOMES.

AND THEN WE'LL GO IN, WE'LL SEND AN INSPECTOR TO DRAFT A SCOPE OF WORK THAT THEN GOES OUT TO E.P.A.

CERTIFIED CONTRACTORS WHO GO INTO THE HOMES, REMEDIATE THE LEAD-BASED PAINT HAZARDED THAT WERE FOUND AT NO COST TO THE FAMILY OR PROPERTY OWNER.

WE HAVE EXPANDED OUR WINDOWS AND DOORS PROGRAM.

WE CALL IT WINDOWS AND DOORS AND MORE.

SO FOR HEALTH DEPARTMENT CASES WHERE THERE IS AN OPEN LEAD VIOLATION, WE ARE ABLE TO REFER ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS WHO MIGHT NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE HUD GRANTS TO THAT PROGRAM TO HAVE THE HOUSE COMPLETELY ABATED OF LEAD HAZARD.

AND LAST YEAR'S COUNTY BUDGET WE WERE ABLE TO ALLOCATE $2.5 MILLION TOWARDS LEAD POISONING PREVENTION.

PRIOR TO THAT, WE BUDGETED ABOUT $5 MILLION TOWARDS LEAD POISONING PREVENTION.

WE HAVE TAKEN THAT AND WE HAVE ALSO COUPLED IT WITH THE FUNDING THAT WE APPLIED TO THE STATE FOR THEIR LEADING AND LEAD PROGRAM FOR ANOTHER $1.3 MILLION.

MY JOB IS TO HOPEFULLY NOT HAVE A JOB SOON BECAUSE THIS ISSUE NO LONGER EXISTS.

WE STILL HAVE A REALLY OLD HOUSING STOCK.

WE'VE ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE WITH THE WORK REQUIRED TO BE ABLE TO AMILE AMILE YOUR-- AMELIORATE THIS PROBLEM.

MY HOPE IS THAT FUNDING OF THE WCNY LED COMPANY COALITION, THE WORK OF ONONDAGA COUNTY, THE DEPARTMENT OF CODE ENFORCEMENT WITH THE CITY OF SYRACUSE, ALL OF THIS ATTENTION AND ENERGY AND FUNDING BEING CHANNELED TOWARD THIS ISSUE WILL HELP US TO TURN A NEW LEAF, CREATE SAFER ENVIRONMENTS IN OUR HOMES FOR OUR CHILDREN AND TO NOT BE HERE IN 50 YEARS.