Lead poisoning isn’t talked about very often anymore. A lot of people don’t think it’s that common, until it happens in their neighborhood – or their home.
Hurricanes can often cause deteriorating lead-based paint and reveal a possibility of lead poisoning, according to the National Center of Healthy Housing.
That’s exactly what Hurricane Milton did in St. Petersburg.
St. Pete kicked off a partnership Jan. 23 with the Healthy Homes Community Coalition to reduce lead-based dangers in homes. Around 35 people came to Pinellas Technical College to hear how the project will benefit the community and support the city’s new Lead Hazard Reduction Program.
Policy Partners, a local non-profit, surveyed South St. Pete residents who were concerned about lead in their homes. Co-Director Carrie Y. Brown said after Hurricane Milton, more people expressed concerns about the dangers.
“We didn't plan it, but it really ended up being this divine thing,” Brown said. “We were like 'Oh, this is a perfect time to start to talk about why this is something we can talk about.'"
The partnership, Healthy Homes St. Pete, plans to tackle lead-based paint in homes, specifically those built prior to 1978. Around 36% of Florida’s houses were built before that year.
Lead-based paint can cause high blood pressure, headaches and dizziness, among other issues, in adults. But it is also harmful to kids, who can experience irreversible harm to their intelligence and behavior, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The group discussed one of the biggest issues of lead in the homes — people just don’t know about it.
"People said to me, 'Oh we don't hear about it so we didn't think it was still a problem,'” Brown said. “It’s one of those things. Like mold you can smell, trip hazards in your home you can identify, carbon monoxide issues you can tell. Those are other pieces and ways in which we talk about healthy homes.”
“But lead is sort of, almost invisible and so if you aren't aware of it, you don't think to question it."
Krystal Flakes-Martin, the Lead Reduction Program Manager for St. Petersburg, discussed the long-term dangers of lead.
“The best way to protect children from lead exposure is to remove lead hazards from the environment,” Flakes-Martin said.
Lead-based paint can become a hazard when it chips, peels, is chewed on by young kids or creates lead-contaminated dust. Trained inspectors can identify whether a home has the paint.
While families can clean their homes, the city wants to help, Flakes-Martin said.
The St. Pete program received a $2.5 million grant in 2023 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The grant will support the partnership with the Healthy Homes Community Coalition and fund three goals: outreach and education, workforce development and infrastructure.
One of the next steps is to train workers in detecting and preventing lead-based paint hazards in homes. Next year, St. Pete plans to launch a Lead Reduction Grant Program, where homeowners can apply for funding to remove these hazards.
