Lead Hazard Control in Henderson, Nevada: Identifying Critical Areas and the Associated Costs

Lead poisoning is a common, yet preventable childhood health problem in the United States today. Studies show statistically significant (p \u3c .05) associations between higher childhood lead exposure and subsequent negative developmental outcomes. Since 1993, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Lead Hazard Control (LHC) Grant Program has devoted more than $1 billion in funding to several cities. This study investigated a total of n=75 homes enrolled into the Henderson Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes Program (HLHCHHP) from December 2013 – February 2015. A logistic regression was performed to ascertain the frequency of lead-based paint (LBP) found in homes based on the year it was constructed. Of the 75 enrolled and tested for LBP, 58 homes (77.3%) were found to contain LBP and 17 homes (22.7%) did not contain LBP. The significance value of p=0.013 shows that there was a statistically significant correlation between the year a housing unit was built and the maximum-likelihood of it containing LBP. The odds ratio (OR) = 0.917 [95% CI: 0.857, 0.982] indicated that a house was protective against LBP as a house gets newer in age. Chi-square tests were conducted to determine association between substrates and components found with or without LBP in an effort to identify critical areas within a home. The results showed that wood and windows contained LBP more often than any other substrate and component. The costs for remediation on n=37 of the homes that underwent the construction phase of the program is also analyzed. A cost comparison analysis between interim control and full lead abatement is intended to provide guidance for limited budget allocations on LBP work in future projects