TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Property owners who are required to have lead safe certifications by June 30, 2018 will be receiving mail about updates on the City of Toledo Lead Ordinance from The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department (TLCHD).
An overview of the Lead Safe Law and childhood lead poisoning information will also be inserted into the City of Toledo's next cycle of utility bills.
TLCHD has scheduled free educational training sessions, including question and answer segments, for tenants and landlords to better understand the Lead Safe Law.
"Wipe your feet off before you go in to the house. Chipped, peeling paint - be careful of that - window sills,and stuff like that. Don't let your child chew or gnaw on that, because that's where they get the lead poisoning," said Dave Welch the Director of Environmental Health for the TLCHD.
Rental properties and in-home day cares built before 1978 are in need of inspection.
There weren't any landlords at the first session, but the health department is confident turnout will increase in upcoming meetings.
"There are three phases - 2018, 2019 and 2020 - so they're all going out for phase 1. We'll probably do a follow-up letter later in the year to just see
how well the response is," said Welch.
These phases depend on how dangerous the property is considered.
In these classes, neighbors take a pretest, then listen to a presentation covering everything from the dust wipes to how kids react to lead.
Following the presentation, they take a post-test and are free to ask any questions they might have, hoping to clear up any confusion.
"They think that it's like lead abatement where you have to go in and replace windows and do all sorts of stuff. It's really not; it's to take care of any peeling, chipping paint. Make sure around the outside of the house there is no exposed dirt right up against the house and just basic housekeeping," said Welch.
Health department leaders say these programs were planned in areas where there are the most properties needing inspection.
The dates for these sessions are listed below. The first three session are limited to 25 seats. Call 419.213.4100 ext 3 or email to RSVP.
- June 20, 12 p.m. OR 5 p.m. at Birmingham Branch Library
- June 27, 12 p.m. OR 5 p.m. at Kent Branch Library
- July 6, 12 p.m. OR 5 p.m. at Mott Branch Library
Additional video resources such as "How to Prepare for Your Lead Inspection" and future schedule educational training opportunities can be found here.
