in its lead hazard control program, staff first had to undergo training in order to apply for the 
v. 
state radiation license. 
3.2 Project Implementation Steps 
The following briefly summarizes the steps taken by the Syracuse Lead Dust Project to imple¬ 
ment its program. 
Project Intake (Recruiting Participants) 
Syracuse identified at-risk children by targeting neighborhoods with older, wood-framed hous¬ 
ing (generally with wooden clapboard siding). Such houses are likely to have lead-based interior 
or exterior paint. Neighborhoods made up of older housing units, especially homes built before 
1978, when the use of lead paint was federally banned in the United States, are more likely than 
newer communities to have a lead problem. In Syracuse, therefore, officials target buildings 
built before 1978 that house children. In fact, the prevalence of such structures made intake 
screening unnecessary Syracuse accepts all referrals from CBOs that involve small children. 
First, CBOs work to inform residents about the city s lead dust project. Then residents or 
property owners fill out a HEPA Vacuum Intake Questionnaire (see copy at end of Chapter 5) 
which is submitted to the Syracuse lead team for evaluation. This questionnaire collects basic 
data, such as household size, number of children under 6, and the age of the building. The 
team then contacts the resident to set up a time to collect dust wipe samples from the proper¬ 
ty. At the same time they also provide the individual with a clear understanding of how the 
process will work. See Chapter 5 for more information on in-home dust sampling conducted 
by Syracuse. 
Lead Dust Sampling and Analysis 
Once a resident is enrolled in the Syracuse project, a field sampling technician (accompanied by 
a CBO representative, as needed), visits the residence and explains the sampling procedure. 
Prior to sampling, the technician does an initial walk-through to locate the dustiest areas of 
floors, window sills, and window wells that are most accessible or exposed to children. He col¬ 
lects samples in the house using dust wipes. Then the dust wipe samples are analyzed by field- 
portable XRF technology. In some cases confirmatory laboratory analyses are also performed, as 
discussed in Chapter 6. 
Lead Dust Mitigation (Cleaning) 
In houses where lead levels exceed minimum reference levels for lead hazards, the Syracuse Lead 
Dust Project provides each participating resident with training in proper cleaning techniques 
and free access to a HEPA vacuum. (See Section 1.5 of this handbook for Syracuse s reference 
levels for lead hazards). The project provides HEPA vacuums at no cost to all participants who 
wish to use them. The Syracuse Lead Dust Project also provides ongoing training and educa¬ 
tion to the seven participating CBOs to promote the use of the HEPA vacuums. 
The resident signs a free seven-day lease agreement and takes responsibility for proper care and use 
of the vacuum. The HEPA vacuum coordinator trains the resident in a three-step cleaning 
process, and the actual mitigation is completed by the resident. In some cases, the field sampling 
technician returns to the home for post-mitigation sampling and also to collect the vacuum. The 
i s 
Chapter 3 
