2023 National Lead and Healthy Housing Conference

October 18 – 20, 2023

Held at the Embassy Suites Hotel Philadelphia Airport

Time to network again!

Time to get up to date on new lead and healthy housing funding opportunities and program strategies!

Need CEUs?

The National Environmental Health Association has awarded pre-approval of 18 CEUs for those attending the National Conference. If you are attending the conference and would like CEUs from NEHA, upon completion of the conference, send a request for the Pre-Approval NEHA Letter and the Continuing Education Certificate of Completion.

Special Preconference Workshop on Dust Wipes

In light of all the regulatory dust wipe requirements and changes to EPA’s dust wipe action levels, LEHA is offering a three-hour informational program on the Dust Sampling Technicians Course, October 18 from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. as one of three pre-conference workshops (see Conference Schedule). The workshop is being presented by the Lead and Environmental Hazards Association (LEHA), NAETI Environmental training organization, and the Environmental Hazards Services (EHS) lead lab.

The program will cover the following:

• Why all the talk about dust wipes (background)
• Overview of regional laws that require dust wipe sampling
• Similarities vs. Variations in NYC, NJ, Philly and Lancaster, PA
• How to properly collect a dust wipe
• The importance of being accurate and precise with clear documentation
• The EPA Dust Wipe Sampling Technicians course: Why, When and Where

Conference Program

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

9:00 a.m. – Noon – Three Concurrent Pre-Conference Workshops

Workshop #1 is an Informational Program on the Dust Sampling Technicians Course to Prepare People to Take the EPA Certification Course.

Presenters: Lee Wasserman and Greg Krueger, Lew Environmental, and Kathy Tyler-Harris and Howard Varner, Environmental Hazards Services

Workshop #2 is on Leading the Way: Achieving Grant Success by Implementing Lead Effective Procedures and Green Technologies for Cost-Effective Remediation of Lead Contaminated Soils.

Presenter: Rosa Zaremba, Program Director, Community Affairs and Resource Center

Workshop #3 is on Strategies for Addressing and Remediating Home-Based Environmental Health and Safety Hazards.

Presenter: Mike Sharp, Senior Safety Officer, Janus Corporation

Noon – 1:30 p.m. – Lunch on Your Own

1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Opening General Session

Moderator: Kate Kirkwood, Program Manager, Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes Program

Part 1: Presentation on the purpose of the forthcoming EPA/HUD virtual workshop on the detection, measurement and characterization of lead-based paint to support efforts to reduce lead exposure.

Presenter: Catie Taylor, US EPA

Part 2: Presentations on the proposed EPA Dust Lead Hazard Standards and Dust Lead Post-Abatement Clearance Levels, and the Technical Analysis of the proposed rule.

Presenters: Claire Brisse, US EPA and Mark Myer, US EPA

Part 3: Clarifying perspectives on EPA’s proposed clearance and hazard standards rule.

Panelists: Howard Varner, Kathy Tyler-Harris (Laboratory perspective); Lee Wasserman and Greg Krueger (inspector/risk assessor perspective); Ron Peik (abatement contractor perspective); Larry Brooks (public agency and HUD grantee perspective); Dave Jacobs (scientist perspective)

Part 4: Presentation on Community Engagement

Presenter: Jackie Hernandez, Lead Hazard Control Program Coordinator, Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan

5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. – Networking Reception and Exhibit Viewing

Thursday, October 19, 2023

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Two Concurrent Educational Tracks

Educational Track #1 on Lead Poisoning Prevention and Lead Hazard Control Issues

Part 1: Presentation on lessons learned from recently enacted laws and regulations in the mid-Atlantic region.

Presenters: Kathy Tyler-Harris, Environmental Hazards Services, Lee Wasserman and Greg Krueger, LEW Environmental

Part 2: Panel on lead in household products and disproportionate exposure to lead by low-income households

Presenters: Joe Laquatra, Professor, Cornell University and Kim Ploszaj, Connecticut State Government

Part 3: Presentation on increasing awareness, outreach and education

Presenter: Gail Gettens, Department of Health and Human Services, New Hampshire

Educational Track #2 on Healthy Housing and Safe Housing Issues

Part 1: Presentation on eliminating German cockroach infestations using Assessment-based Pest Management (APM): No resident cooperation required.

Presenter: Dini Miller, University of Vermont

Part 2: Presentation on using a Health Information Exchange to understand patterns of lead poisoning and asthma.

Presenter: Stuart Altschuler, Director of Analytics and Insights, Trenton Health Team

Part 3: Presentations on low cost, high impact home modifications for aging in place – Live improvement through home improvement. and Aging in Place Program

Presenters: Karen Koch, Home Modification Occupational Therapy Alliance and Mary Endrusick, Neighborhood Watch

12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Lunch Provided

1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Two Concurrent Educational Tracks

Educational Track #1 on Lead Poisoning Prevent and Lead Hazard Control Issues (1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.)

Part 1: Presentation on the EPA Local Lead Action Plan

Presenter: Hannah Bartling, Lead-Based Paint Team, US EPA

Part 2: Presentation on lead poisoning prevention and services across silos

Presenter: Elyse Pivnick, Director of Environmental Health, Isles, Inc.

Part 3: Presentation on empowering families to prevent pervasive lead exposure when abatement or relocation are not immediate options.

Presenter: Marta Kostecki, Regional Lead Treatment Center

Part 4: Presentations on Get the Lead Out: policies to ensure safe drinking water in schools and childcare facilities.

Presenters: Jennifer Hoponick Redmon, Director, Environmental Health and Water Quality, RTI International; Ed Norman Program Manager, NC Department of Health and Human Services, and John Rumpler, Director, Environment America

Educational Track #2 on Healthy Housing and Safe Housing Issues (1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.)

Part 1: Presentation on using an Environmental Justice Tool Kit for lead paint enforcement programs.

Presenter: Robin Jacobs, US EPA

Part 2: Presentation on Tiered Credentials for Healthy Housing Workforce

Presenters: Larry Zarker, Chief Executive Officer, Building Performance Institute and Kevin Kennedy, Environmental Health Scientist, Healthy Indoors Training and Consulting

Part 3: Presentation on abatement for housing rehabilitation programs and how to navigate the regulatory requirements.

Presenter: Michelle DeGarmo, Flatley Read, Inc.

Part 4: Identifying and remediating indoor air quality hazards – and beyond

Presenter: Carl Grimes, Director Healthy Homes, Hayward Healthy Homes Institute

Friday, October 20, 2023

9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – General Session

Part 1: Presentations on preventing childhood lead poisoning: the work of the parent advocate and the progress made in Cleveland and in Southern New Jersey

Presenters: Bett Cantley, Parent Advocate, Ohio Lead Free Kids Coalition

Karen Dettmer, Senior Lead Strategist, Office of the Mayor of Cleveland

Robin Brown, CEO, Concerned Citizens Organized Against Lead

Nudar Chowdbury, Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative

Part 2: Presentation on Federal Opportunities: New programs and available funding for lead poisoning prevention, lead hazard control and healthy housing programs.

Presenters: Matt Ammon, Director, HUD Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes and Tara Radosevich, title, HUD

Part 3: Presentation on eliminating lead pipes.

Presenter: Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safe Chemicals, Environmental Defense Fund

Part 4: “Stump the Pros”: a problem-solving session with attendees asking questions of a panel of professionals representing various disciplines.

Moderator: Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safe Chemicals, Environmental Defense Fund

Panelists: Howard Varner and Kathy Tyler-Harris (lab issues), Ron Peik (lead remediation and contracting issues), Lee Wasserman and Greg Krueger (inspection and risk assessment issues), Mike Sharp (indoor environmental hazards issues), Larry Brooks (public agency and grantee issues), Kate Kirkwood (outreach and grantee issues)