Broome County Childhood Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program (CLPPPP)

The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) has been providing technical assistance and evaluation support to the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) Childhood Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program (CLPPPP) since the inception of the initiative in 2007. Each of the 15 grantee programs operates within a unique local landscape that impacts the distinct challenges they face and successes they accomplish.
As a CLPPP Program grantee, the Broome County CLPPPP program seeks to achieve five goals:
1. Identify housing at greatest risk of lead-based paint hazards.
2. Develop partnerships and community engagement to promote primary prevention.
3. Promote interventions to create lead-safe housing units.
4. Build lead-safe work practices (LSWP) workforce capacity.
5. Identify community resources for lead-hazard control.

Since 2008, Broome County CLPPPP has worked with property owners to remove lead paint hazards from housing in target ZIP codes 13901–13905 within the city of Binghamton and ZIP codes 13760 and 13790 within the town of Union. Housing units outside those areas are inspected when referred by the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (which is responsible for responding to children with elevated blood lead levels).

The program also inspects properties based on referrals from the Healthy Neighborhoods Program,
Maternal and Child Health Home Visiting Programs, WIC, and/or code enforcement agencies; requests from owners or tenants; and observations of deteriorated exterior paint. The program targets the highest-risk properties, including but not limited to homes of at-risk newborns or pregnant women, units where children with blood lead levels between 5–9 or 10–14 μg/dL reside or units adjacent to them, and vacant properties.

The program’s inspection protocol consists of an exterior and interior visual inspection as well as XRF (x-ray fluorescence) measurement of lead on painted household surfaces accessible to the residents of each unit. Inspectors also provide educational materials and incentives, such as cleaning products, to encourage residents’ cooperation.

Lead paint dust created during renovation work can substantially increase children’s exposure to lead. The program works to address this problem by training landlords, homeowners, and contractors working on properties under notice as EPA-certified lead renovators. This training focuses on reducing the amount of dust generated during paint disturbing work, containing any dust generated, and thoroughly cleaning the jobsite after work to remove any lead-contaminated dust.