RUMFORD — Maine’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Fund is working with an online housing registry to help landlords promote their lead-safe properties, Sandra Witas, River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition project coordinator, said Tuesday by email.
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is being observed Oct. 21-27.
The new lead-status feature of MaineHousingSearch.org is an opportunity for landlords and property managers to advertise rental units that are maintained safely for lead hazards directly to more than 6,000 site visitors each month, according to a Maine Department of Environmental Protection news report.
It is free to list and free to search.
Rental property owners can register their properties online or by phone and select a lead status to show prospective tenants their commitment to providing safe and healthy housing, the report said.
Families can search for rental housing where landlords take real steps to prevent lead hazards. Visit MaineHousingSearch.org or call 1-877-428-8844 to get started.
Lead-based paint can be found in homes built before 1978. Dust from deteriorating lead paint is the leading cause of lead poisoning in Maine, the report said.
Lead dust can collect on toys and floors where children play. Children under 6 are most at risk for lead poisoning, because they are more likely to put their hands and other objects in their mouths, the report said.
With proper maintenance, renters can live safely in older buildings.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection have worked together to create this listing opportunity to support landlords that take steps to keep their rental properties lead safe, the report said.
By working together to maintain units in a lead-safe way, tenants and landlords can keep their rental units and families safe from lead hazards.
For more information, contact Beth Chase at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection at 592-6157.
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