Using Community-Academic Partnerships to Strengthen Health Impact Assessment to Prevent Lead Exposure in Children

Background: Children living near lead paint containing structures undergoing demolition are at risk for elevated blood lead levels. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) evaluates potential health effects of a project to minimize the health effects to the community. Community-academic partnerships can improve dissemination of environmental health information. Objective: To empower community members with tools and education to prevent lead exposure developed using a community-academic approach. Design/ Methods: The local health department performed an HIA on a bridge demolition project in an urban neighborhood. The community expressed concern about lead dust exposure. Partners involved in this intervention included health-based organizations, community groups, university, and government organizations. An iterative process among these partners created a refrigerator magnet, a Demolition Dust Fact Sheet, workshops, and a lead avoidance intervention (tacky mats for house doorways with instructions for use). Lead exp...