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Community Corner

Leaky Windows Lead to Consideration of Hazards

Replace or repaint old windows?

With winter coming, our family has been considering replacing or repairing our drafty old windows.

The windows are original to the house, which was built in 1945, well-made but in need of some TLC, as evidenced by the way they rattle during storms and seem to leak more air then they should. Re-caulking is a priority.

So is painting. Some of the windows face south and have taken a beating from the sun, leading to fading and, in some places, minor cracking, with peeling just a step away.

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Being of a frugal mind-set and do-it-yourself attitude, our first preference was to scrap, paint and re-caulk the windows.

A friend advised caution when I told her the plan. I thought I knew what I needed to about lead paint and could control the potential risk by minimizing contact and exposure. Besides, isn’t lead only a problem for young children and babies? My children are in middle and high school.

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Her questioning rebuttal stopped me short: “Why would you even risk it?”

Lead is a toxic metal that interferes with the normal development of a child's brain and can result in lower IQ and a greater likelihood of behavior problems, like aggression, hyperactivity, juvenile delinquency, and adult violent crime, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Children under the age of six are the most vulnerable because of their rapid brain development and high absorption rate of lead.

Lead-based paint is the primary source of lead in a child's environment, and lead poisoning can be best prevented by removing this hazard, according to the health department.

Health Impacts of Lead Poisoning

From the Wisconsin Department of Health Services in a report, Childhood Lead Poisoning in 2010:

  • Lead poisoning is more common in children two years of age, children in low-income families, African American children, and children living in housing built before 1950.
  • There is no safe level of lead in the human body. In extreme cases, lead poisoning can cause coma, seizures or death.
  • Most children with lead poisoning show no obvious signs of being poisoned. The way to diagnose lead poisoning is through a blood lead test.
  • An expectant mother’s health is important, too. Prenatal lead exposure poses a greater risk to offspring brain development than childhood exposure and it can influence a child’s genetic programming and susceptibility to disease throughout life.
  • Adolescents who were lead-poisoned as children demonstrated depression and panic attacks and higher rates of high school dropout, teen pregnancy, and juvenile delinquency. They are nearly five times more likely to use tobacco in their teen years.

Lead-Poisoning Frequency

  • Wisconsin has consistently ranked among the top 10 states for the number of children found to be lead-poisoned.
  • More than 1,500 Wisconsin children are reported with lead poisoning each year. Yet, less than half of the Wisconsin children at greatest risk for lead poisoning
    receive the age appropriate blood lead tests.
  • Lead poisoning is a housing-based disease. In Waukesha County, there are an estimated 85,284 housing units built before 1978 that may contain lead, according to information supplied by the county based on the 2000 census.
  • In 2006, 29 Waukesha children were determined to be lead poisoned. In 2009, 19 were found to be lead poisoned.

So why would we even risk it?

DIY-attitude aside, it’s simple. Money.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates it takes $8,000 per home on average to fix the lead paint hazards, according to the state’s report on Childhood Lead Poisoning in 2010.

With the amount and size of windows we have, we estimate it will cost us at least $12,000.

Knowing what that will mean to our family budget, I was glad to see that the  is receiving a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to create a lead hazard control program.

The grant is geared toward lower-income households that have incomes of 80 percent of the median income in the combined area of Ozaukee, Washington, Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. The plan is to replace windows in homes that were built before 1978 but the emphasis is on houses before 1950.

We won’t qualify but we can appreciate the need for the program for lower-income families, based on the amount of older homes in the city, many in our neighborhood.

Lead poisoning has its cost, too.

"Costs for lead poisoning are estimated at $45,000 per child. This includes lost wages for the child over the lifetime and financial costs for special education, juvenile delinquency and medical care,” states the report, Childhood Lead Poisoning in 2010.

The verdicts still out on what we’re going to do, but I know what my vote is.

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