Green Team

Residential Energy Upgrades

Eliminating Lead Poisoning

NCCC Americorps and Summer of Service

Photovoice

Solar Training

Auto Repair Shop Pollution Prevention

Healthy Air For North Denver (HAND)

Eliminating Lead Poisoning

Lead is a poison that causes brain damage in young children when ingested. Most of Denver’s old homes, especially those built before 1940, were painted with lead-based paint. If lead-based paint is in poor condition or is on a surface with a lot of friction (like old windows) it can pose a serious risk for young children. About 100 children a year are found with lead poisoning in Denver but we believe there may be many more for whom lead poisoning is undetected.

Groundwork Denver serves on the implementation committee of the Coalition to Eliminate Lead Poisoning in Denver. The Coalition recently completed a strategic plan to eliminate lead poisoning as a public health problem by 2010. Click here to view the strategic plan. In 2008 and 2009, we are working on implementing parts of the strategic plan including education, training, and the development of regulations and enforcement infrastructure in the City of Denver.  

Email Katie to comment on the plan
or to find out more about implementation.
katie@groundworkdenver.org

Groundwork Denver has been working with the DU Environmental Law Clinic to explore the authority provided by existing local, state, and federal laws to force lead hazard cleanup in Denver. The work of the Law Students is presented in this White Paper [Download PDF file).

Identifying houses with high risk for lead poisoning

Groundwork Denver is working on a project to identify houses that present a high risk for lead poisoning of children. These houses are typically built prior to 1940, have old wood-framed windows, and are in distressed condition. Using innovative technology, we are surveying homes using a hand-held computer tool. When a high risk home is identified, we are educating the occupants about free blood lead testing events and free renovations to make the home lead safe. The goal of the project is to improve the homes before children are poisoned.  After surveying over 7000 homes in Denver’s northwest and central neighborhoods, we have identified 180 homes that we believe are high risk for poisoning young children with lead. Contact Katie (katie@groundworkdenver.org) to find out more about this project.