Army holding town halls to address lead exposure concerns

Possible lead exposure on the Presidio of Monterey has residents looking for answers.

The army is hosting two town halls to address any questions people living in military and privatized housing may have this week.

In a sparsely packed meeting room at the General Stilwell Community Center in Seaside on Wednesday evening, a few residents living in houses overseen by the military got a chance to learn about lead.

“We’re doing this because the secretary of the army says there may be a risk to our families. We want to make sure we address those risks,” said Colonel Gregory Ford, the garrison commander at the Presidio of Monterey. “Here at the Presidio of Monterey, we have residents who are civilians as well, so we want to make sure all residents know they have no risk exposure that we haven’t mitigated already to lead.”

Out of the nearly 3,000 homes at the Presidio, about 1,500 were built prior to 1978. That is before the U.S. government banned lead in paint. But so far, there have not been many cases of exposure.

“There’s been none here. We’ve only had two reported cases of elevated lead in blood in the past 30+ years, and none whatsoever associated with lead-based paint in the housing,” said Ford.

The army is trying to do its part telling residents of the potential hazards of lead. Colonel Ford says in most cases, the lead-based paint has already been covered with non-lead-based paint many times over, but there are still things residents can do too.

“If they have a concern about their health, they (should) contact their primary care provider. Talk to that person and explain what their concerns are,” said Ford. “There are other things they can do to make sure…if they see any sort of paint issues like bubbling, boiling, peeling, chipping, let the work orders know.”

It is also important to address any water damage quickly and use only cold water for food preparing.

Children under six have the most significant risk to lead exposure, so be aware of what they might put in their mouth.

The army is going to hold another town hall meeting on Thursday, Sept. 13, at the La Mesa Village Community Center located at 1200 Fechteler Drive in Monterey at 6:30 p.m.