MEADVILLE, Pa. – June 26, 2008 – As it begins its second year of working to reduce environmental health hazards, Healthy Homes-Healthy Children (HHHC) is encouraging local families to take advantage of the program's free in-home assessment service.
“The inspections include assessments for a variety of environmental hazards, including lead, mold and radon, which pose health risks especially to young children,” said Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Caryl Wagget, who coordinates the program.
“While concern about lead and other environmental hazards in our community is merited, the assessments are free and there are a number of practical, low-cost strategies to reduce the risks of home hazards that are identified.”
In addition, if high lead levels are identified, HHHC is able to provide free screening through Meadville Pediatrics for children who are not covered by private insurance or Medicare/Medicaid programs.
HHHC is a nonprofit outreach program based at Allegheny College that focuses on the importance of a healthy home for children as a means to reduce the incidence of diseases originating in the home.
Working with a number of local agencies, HHHC conducted 65 in-home assessments during its first year of operations. Of these homes, 21 percent had at least one soil sample that exceeded EPA soil standards for lead. Nearly half had at least one dust sample that exceeded EPA dust standards for lead, and almost all, 97 percent, tested positive for mold.
In addition to providing in-home assessments, HHHC participates in numerous educational outreach activities. The program began last summer at the Crawford County Fair. Since then, Allegheny faculty and students involved in the program have shared information with more than 1,700 local residents through visits to classrooms and at venues across the region including the Pymatuning Water Fowl Festival, Meadville Halloween Parade, Market House, Halloween trick-or-treating at Allegheny College, Creek Connections Symposium, Home Depot Children's Workshops and Wal-Mart.
For more information or to make an appointment for a free home assessment, call (814) 332-2164 or send an e-mail to hhhc@allegheny.edu.
