Effect of Exterior Home Renovation on Community Lead Hazards: A Pilot Study in South Bend, Indiana

Communities across the US face challenges from legacy lead contamination. In South Bend, Indiana, over 68,000 homes were built before 1978, and most contain leaded paint. When these homes are repainted, repaired, or renovated, failure to use lead-safe practices can contaminate the surrounding soil with lead paint flakes and dust. In this study, we used X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to measure soil lead levels surrounding a home with exterior leaded paint (about 10% Pb w/w) after it was repainted in fall of 2019. The painted wooden exterior was prepared for painting by dry scraping without the use of tarps or plastic barriers. A total of 220 soil samples were collected from the home and its immediate neighbors, and an additional 102 samples were collected from 34 homes in the same neighborhood. The median lead level in dripline soil samples across the neighborhood was 434 ppm, but in the recently repainted house, the median soil lead was 1808.9 ppm, and it was 1,346.4 ppm in the four neighboring homes. The repainted house and its four neighbors were mulched by covering all bare soil to a 4-6 inch depth with chipped wood mulch. Two months later, another 100 soil samples were collected and analyzed. The surface lead level around the target house dropped to 13.8 ppm, showing that mulching is an effective strategy for interim control of high soil lead levels.

Living on the Edge - Defining Shipbreaking at the Edge of Globalisation in Alang, Inida

<p>Forty thousand men on the coastline of Alang, India, dismantle a large portion of the world’s discarded ships in a process referred to as shipbreaking. The discarded vessels are dismantled piece by piece, with no more than a gas torch and physical labour in a country with little to no regulations on the rules of labour or environmental protection. Workers of the shipbreaking yards live in slum dwellings, within a toxic landscape of petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals, lead paint and asbestos; all are toxic by-products of globalised industrialisation. As a result of the extreme work and poor housing conditions, the impoverished inhabitants are at high risk of life threatening diseases which commonly result in death. On the shipbreaking yard alone, an average of sixteen deaths per year occur as a result of the extremely hazardous working conditions. While the need to dismantle and recycle ships will not disappear any time soon, it is imperative that current practices become safe to both workers and the environment. This thesis outlines a design project that introduces the creation of an ecosystem within the shipbreaking community of Alang by introducing many interconnected systems that allow for self-sufficiency. Inspired by concepts of bio-mimicry, the project provides the means to capture toxins safely using naturally produced materials; creates community, family based housing that replaces the current housing slums; and modernises the shipbreaking process by implementing a cyclical ecosystem that capitalises on the regions natural resources. By making the process of shipbreaking environmentally safe and creating a hazard free, more productive work environment, this project suggests that a business practice that is unwanted and hidden can be productive and economically viable.</p>

Living on the Edge - Defining Shipbreaking at the Edge of Globalisation in Alang, Inida

<p>Forty thousand men on the coastline of Alang, India, dismantle a large portion of the world’s discarded ships in a process referred to as shipbreaking. The discarded vessels are dismantled piece by piece, with no more than a gas torch and physical labour in a country with little to no regulations on the rules of labour or environmental protection. Workers of the shipbreaking yards live in slum dwellings, within a toxic landscape of petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals, lead paint and asbestos; all are toxic by-products of globalised industrialisation. As a result of the extreme work and poor housing conditions, the impoverished inhabitants are at high risk of life threatening diseases which commonly result in death. On the shipbreaking yard alone, an average of sixteen deaths per year occur as a result of the extremely hazardous working conditions. While the need to dismantle and recycle ships will not disappear any time soon, it is imperative that current practices become safe to both workers and the environment. This thesis outlines a design project that introduces the creation of an ecosystem within the shipbreaking community of Alang by introducing many interconnected systems that allow for self-sufficiency. Inspired by concepts of bio-mimicry, the project provides the means to capture toxins safely using naturally produced materials; creates community, family based housing that replaces the current housing slums; and modernises the shipbreaking process by implementing a cyclical ecosystem that capitalises on the regions natural resources. By making the process of shipbreaking environmentally safe and creating a hazard free, more productive work environment, this project suggests that a business practice that is unwanted and hidden can be productive and economically viable.</p>

Explaining the association between urbanicity and psychotic-like experiences in adolescence: The indirect effect of urban exposures

Urban living is a growing worldwide phenomenon with more than two-thirds of people expected to live in cities by 2050. Although there are many benefits to living in an urban environment, urbanicity has also been associated with deleterious health outcomes, including increased risk for psychotic outcomes particularly when the urban exposure occurs in adolescence. However, the mechanisms underlying this association is unclear. Here, we utilize one-year follow-up data from a large (N=7,979), nationwide study of adolescence in the United States to clarify why urbanicity might impact psychotic-like experiences (PLE) by looking at the indirect effect of eight candidate urbanicity-related physical (e.g., pollution) and social (e.g., poverty) exposures. Consistent with other work, we find that of the evaluated exposures related to urbanicity, several were also related to increased number of PLE and associated distress: PM2.5, proximity to roads, census-level homes at-risk for exposure to lead paint, census-level poverty, and census-level income-disparity. Mediation analysis revealed that a substantial proportion the urbanicity-PLE association could be explained by PM2.5 (23% of the urbanicity-PLE number association), families in poverty (57-67% of the urbanicity-PLE number and distress association), and income disparity (55-66% of the urbanicity-PLE number and distress association). Together, these findings suggest that specific urban-related exposures might help to explain why those in urban environments are disproportionately at-risk for psychosis and point towards areas for public health intervention.

Neighborhood-Level Lead Paint Hazard for Children under 6: A Tool for Proactive and Equitable Intervention

Lead is well known for its adverse health effects on children, particularly when exposure occurs at earlier ages. The primary source of lead hazards among young children is paint used in buildings built before 1978. Despite being 100% preventable, some children remain exposed and state and local policies often remain reactive. This study presents a methodology for planners and public health practitioners to proactively address lead risks among young children. Using geospatial analyses, this study examines neighborhood level measurement of lead paint hazard in homes and childcare facilities and the concentration of children aged 0–5. Results highlight areas of potential lead paint hazard hotspots within a county in the Midwestern state studied, which coincides with higher concentration of non-white children. This places lead paint hazard in the context of social determinants of health, where existing disparity in distribution of social and economic resources reinforces health inequity. In addition to being proactive, lead poisoning intervention efforts need to be multi-dimensional and coordinated among multiple parties involved. Identifying children in higher lead paint hazard areas, screening and treating them, and repairing their homes and childcare facilities will require close collaboration of healthcare professionals, local housing and planning authorities, and community members.

Insights into the Slow Uptake of Residential Lead Paint Remediation Funds: A Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Case Study

Lead poisoning is a preventable condition that continues to affect thousands of children each year. Given that local governments and municipalities are eligible to apply for federal funds to perform lead remediation in low-income family homes, we sought to understand how lead poisoning knowledge levels may affect the uptake of these funds. We recruited and conducted 28 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with community members from Lancaster County in the state of Pennsylvania in the USA. We audio-recorded and transcribed each interview, and analyzed each transcript for salient themes. The interviewed participants displayed a varying degree of knowledge about lead and lead poisoning. Most of the participants were unaware of the lead paint remediation funds. Participants learned about lead from various sources, such as social media, and personal experiences with lead poisoning appeared to enhance knowledge. Some participants assumed lead poisoning prevention would be addressed by other stakeholders if necessary, including healthcare professionals and landlords. The results of this study suggest that in order to increase the timely uptake of the remediation funds, community-based organizations should design interventions that aim to increase awareness and knowledge about lead poisoning and lead poisoning prevention. These interventions should be tailored for different audiences including community members, healthcare professionals, and landlords.

Slip coefficient of 90-year-old riveted joint surface with red lead paint for corrosion

<p>Before 1950, steel bridges were basically connected by rivets. Most of the steel bridge has been replaced due to aging or corrosion. However, many rivet bridges are still being in service; some of the rivets might be corroded and loosen due to the paint coating's deterioration. The riveted bridge has to repair by replacing the corroded rivets with high-strength bolts for friction connection. However, the slip coefficient of riveted joint surfaces with red lead treatment is not specified. In this study, specimens cut out from a 90-year-old riveted bridge's joint section and evaluated the riveted joint surface's aging condition by microscope observation and elemental analysis. The slip and pressure distribution tests are also conducted to investigate the slip coefficient and pressure distribution of riveted joints' surface. It is found that the joint surface is not flat, the average slip coefficient is 0.274, and the −2&#120590; is calculated to 0.169.</p>