EBL INVESTIGATION - Minnesota Department of Health

EBL INVESTIGATION
Minnesota Department of Health
Lead Compliance Program

What is an EBL Investigation?
• Identify a cause or causes for the lead
poisoning of a child
– A comprehensive investigation of all sources of lead
in a child’s environment
• A risk assessment attempts to identify
lead-based paint hazards in a dwelling

Response to EBL Cases
• Educational Intervention at 10 µg/dL or greater
• Environmental Follow-up at 20 µg/dL or greater; or
at 15 µg/dL to 19.9 µg/dL persistent for 90 days:
– Receive report of EBL from database
– Contact public health agency (e.g., PHN)
– Risk assessment
– Lead hazard reduction (e.g., Abatement)
– Clearance testing
– Case closure (Environmental)

Primary Prevention
• Risk assessment at level above 10 µg/dl (venous)
• Persistent or increasing level, multiple children
with elevated blood leads, etc.,
• Recommendations only

Assessing Agencies
• MDH (82 Counties)
• City of Minneapolis
• City of Richfield
• City of Bloomington
• St. Paul/Ramsey County
• Hennepin County
• Dakota County
• St. Louis County
• Stearns County

• Paint:
Lead Standards
– 0.5% or more by dry weight or 5,000 ppm
– 1.0 milligram per square centimeter
• Dust:
– Floor/carpeting - 40 µg/ft² (hazard and clearance)
– Window sill - 250 µg/ft² (hazard and clearance)
– Window well - 400 µg/ft² (hazard and clearance)
• Bare soil: 100 ppm (hazard and clearance
• Water: 15 ppb (µg/liter)

Methods for detecting Lead in Paint
• X-ray fluorescence analyzer (XRF)
• Paint chip analysis
• Dust wipe analysis
• Qualitative chemical test kits

How Widespread is Lead Paint
in Housing?
• Before 1940 → 87 percent
• 1940 - 1959 → 69 percent
• 1960 - 1978 → 24 percent
• All housing → 40 percent

LBP in Residential Housing
• Over 60 million homes
built before 1978 contain
lead-based paint
• Some homes are more
prone to LBP hazards
– Older, pre-1960 units
– Poor condition
– Unsafe renovation or lack
of maintenance
– Exterior contaminated
soil
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Preliminary Activities
• Establish contact with home owner
• Background information (e.g., renovation)
• Contact with public health nurse
– Translation issues
– Case history of child/family
• Other residential dwellings

Site Activities
• Detailed questionnaire or interview:
– In single-family, owner-occupied dwellings, the
information includes resident use patterns, such as
where the child’s principal play area is located, and
information regarding the physical characteristics of
the property
– In rental dwellings (multi-family), this information
provides details about management and maintenance
practices and occupancy status of the buildings

Site Activities
• Visual inspection or walkthrough:
– Serves to identify the existence of deteriorated paint,
assess the extent and causes of the deterioration, and
evaluate other potential lead hazards, including bare soil
areas
– The risk assessor uses this information to make decisions
with respect to sample locations inside and outside the
affected property

Site Activities

Site Activities

Site Activities

Site Activities

Site Activities

Site Activities
• Paint Inspection
– Deteriorated surfaces (e.g. windows)
– Friction, impact, and chewable
surfaces
• Dust samples
– Play areas
– Child’s bedroom
• Bare soil samples
– Sandbox or playground area

Site Activities
• Water Samples
– required if no other sources found
– domestic and bottled water supply
• Other painted surfaces
– Deteriorated furniture
– Chewed surfaces
• Dust on work clothing, food shelving,
car interiors, toys, et cetera

Site Activities
• Vinyl mini-blinds
• Folk remedies/foods
• Pewter and antique items
• Glazed dinnerware or ceramics
• Batteries (e.g. automotive)
• Ammunitions
• Hobbies (e.g. stained glass)
• Lead sinkers

Site Activities

Site Activities

Site Activities

Site Activities

Site Activities

What if there is no lead?
• Review of affected property
– Additional sampling to verify previous results
– Closer examination of surrounding areas
• Child occupancy patterns
– Where does child like to hide?
– Behaviors not previously disclosed
– Other dwelling units not addressed
• Folk remedies
– Hard to find with certain cultures

• Abatement
Terminology
– Measures designed with intent to permanently
eliminate LBP or LBP hazards
– May include removal, replacement, permanent
enclosure, and encapsulation
– Includes cleaning and clearance
• Interim Controls
– Measures to temporarily reduce human
exposure to lead-based paint hazards
– May include repairs, painting, cleaning, ongoing
LBP maintenance, and management programs

Lead Safe Work Practices
• Wet methods
• HEPA Vacuum
• Worksite preparation
• Cleanup of debris
• Disposal issues
• Paint stabilization

Prohibited Methods
• Open flame burning
• Using heat guns over 700 o F
• Dry sanding or dry scraping
• Using certain paint strippers
in poorly ventilated space
• Machine sanding or grinding
Abrasive blasting or sandblasting
without HEPA local exhaust control
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Lead Orders
• Identification of lead hazards
– Risk assessment report
• Lead hazard reduction options
– Abatement
– Interim Controls
• Hiring a certified firm to do work
• Resources for homeowners
– Clear Corp
– Grants (DTED, MHFA)
– HEPA vacuum rental

Enforcement
• Minnesota Statute, section 144.0904, subd. (5)
– Requires that orders be completed by owner
– Failure to comply results in penalties up to $10,000
– Forgivable and Non-forgivable APO

Clearance Testing
• Visual determination
– Exterior and interior areas
• Follow-up dust sampling
– Locations previously sampled
– Windows & floors (4 rooms)
– Entrance or pathway to work area
• Clearance test results
– Re-occupancy issues

Case Closure
• Lead hazard reduction is complete
– Visual inspection of property
• Clearance results are below standards
• Compliance letter sent to owner
– Environmental case is closed
– Medical follow-up continues

MDH Staff – Risk Assessors
• St. Paul Office - (651) 215-0890
Contact: Dan Locher, Bruce Lange
• Fergus Falls Office - (218) 739-7585
Contact: Greg Boole
• Rochester Office - (507) 292-5196
Contact: Robert Miles