Evaluating Syracuse’s 
Lead Dust Project 
he goal of the EMPACT-funded Lead Dust Project in Syracuse is to provide envi¬ 
ronmental information so that the public can make informed decisions to protect 
themselves and their families from environmental hazards. The program emphasis is 
on monitoring; data delivery and management; and on communication and outreach, not miti¬ 
gation or treatment. In response to anticipated resident concerns over elevated lead dust levels 
communicated by the project, however, Syracuse also decided to provide information and train¬ 
ing about the three-step cleaning process along with a HEPA vacuum lease program, so that res¬ 
idents would have a low-cost measure they could immediately implement, if elevated lead dust 
levels were found. 
Because of EMPACT s focus on monitoring and outreach, measuring the effectiveness of the 
mitigation component of the project has not been elaborate. Nonetheless, the project did build 
in a spot check of the effectiveness of its cleaning and HEPA vacuuming methods. 
To conduct this initial spot check, Syracuse reviewed sample data from a total of 119 individual 
locations where both before- and after-mitigation data was available. Of these 119 locations, 74 
were determined to have pre-mitigation lead dust levels below the project action levels, and 45 
were determined to have pre-mitigation lead dust levels above the project action levels. After 
mitigation was performed, lead dust levels were reduced below project action levels in 82 per¬ 
cent (37 of 45) of the locations previously determined to have excessive lead dusts levels. 
The following table summarizes the results of this effectiveness evaluation. The post samples 
were taken an average of 37 days after initial mitigation was conducted. Based on these find¬ 
ings, the Syracuse project continues to conduct post sampling for a minimum of 10 percent of 
the locations tested. 
Preliminary Evaluation of Syracuse Project Effectiveness 5 
Pre-Samples (119 Total) Percent (%) Post Samples (119 Total) Percent (%) 
Below Action Levels - 74 
62% 
Below Action Levels - 70 
Above Action Levels - 4 
95% 
5% 
Above Action Levels - 45 
38% 
Below Action Levels - 37 82% 
Above Action Levels - 8 18% 
acreased lead dust levels is possibly attributable to the 
>etween pre- and post-sampling. 
5 The fact that four post-mitigation samples showed ii 
re-accumulation of lead dust during the 37-day lag fc 
Different project goals may require different project evaluation schemes. If a project s major 
focus is mitigation, as opposed to monitoring and outreach, evaluation measures should be 
designed accordingly. 
Syracuse also regularly solicits feedback from program participants and CBOs through ques¬ 
tionnaires and interviews to evaluate project effectiveness, strengths, and weaknesses. Once a 
Evaluating Syracuse’s Lead 
Dust Project 
7 3 
