Because African American and other minorities often live in older, deteriorating housing (pre-1950s construction), millions of their children are at risk of mental retardation, impaired growth, respiratory infections, chronic diseases, even death. Loss wages, school absences, hospitalizations and the need for costly medical care for asthma, allergies and other respiratory conditions combine to create a health crisis of epidemic proportions.

This reality coupled with the growing inability of housing authorities, property owners and managers of affordable housing to keep pace with the costs of necessary physical improvements, environmental safeguards and educational programs represents a major challenge to policymakers, housing advocates and industry practitioners. The National Organization of African Americans in Housing (NOAAH) is committed to identifying solutions to this crisis that strike a balance between the need to make costly environmental and physical improvements to the nation's affordable housing stock and provide decent, safe and quality housing for the families who live there.

Lead

Lead-based paint (LBP) hazards still pose a very real health concern for millions of young children every day. While any child can be affected by the disease, it's still low-income and minority families who suffer the consequences disproportionately. And unfortunately, it's these same families who don't have the awareness or economic resources to eliminate LBP hazards.

Elevated lead-levels in humans have been shown to cause lower IQ, reduced attention span, learning disabilities, hyperactivity, and impaired hearing. Severe poisoning can cause mental retardation, coma, convulsions or death. Twenty-two percent of African American children living in older, predominantly urban housing experience lead poisoning, compared with only 5 percent of white children in similar areas, according to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) study on lead and allergens. HUD's latest lead-based paint study, published January 12, 2001, found that approximately 55 percent (35 million) of the homes built before 1978 have lead-based paint, and 26 percent (17 million) of those homes have deteriorated LBP.

To this point NOAAH continues to research and discover best practices with respect to alerting affected communities to health hazards concerning lead. We provide below the best websites available which offer updated information.

Mold problems are difficult to quantify on a national level. But there is evidence showing that it's a growing problem. For example, the Texas Department of Insurance released data relating to the frequency of mold claims during 2000 and the first half of 2001. There were 15,612 claims reported, with an average claim size of $17,713 -- for a total of $276.5 million in Texas alone. The claims in the first two quarters of 2001 were reported to be 78 percent higher than all of 2000.

If it exists about lead – it is on one of these pages:

  • HUD
  • CDC
  • EPA
  • OSHA
  • NY City Dept of Health
  • NYC Housing Preservation & Dev.
  • Natl. Center for Healthy Housing
  • Federal Register
  • Alliance to end childhood lead poisoning
  • Environmental justice and Health Union
  • Office of Minority Health
    •      		Mold
    Lead Based Paint
    Pests