Lead, mold and carbon monoxide are just a few of the environmental health hazards that will be discussed at a free seminar in Ironton Wednesday.

Kim Foster, a representative from the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department, will be on-hand Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Ironton City Center for a presentation about environmental hazards in the home. The training seminar is sponsored by the four Lead Poisoning Prevention Regional Resource Centers and the Ohio Department of Health Children Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.

Though the seminar is called Healthy Homes Introduction for Professionals, it is open to anyone who wants to come.

“It’s not only for professionals,” Ironton Health Commissioner Laura Brown said. “It’s for anyone remodeling a home, especially an older home.”

Topics will include lead and other heavy metals, mold integrated pest management, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide, though Foster may also answer questions about other topics, Brown said.

Lead and other heavy metals can cause learning problems in children. Lead-based paints are common in houses that were built in the 1960s and 1970s, Brown said.

“We just need to train people,” Brown said, adding that there are ways of correcting lead problems in homes. “There are primers out there that will cover the lead paint. You can cover it if you want to and that’s what she’s here to train people to do.”

Brown invites anyone, especially those with an interest in remodeling, to come to the event.

“It’s not just for men, it’s for women too,” she said. “I’m trying to get people from all different walks of life to come. Some people like to do things in their own homes. They need to be aware of this stuff too.”

The seminar will also serve as training for health department staff members. Brown hopes to have Foster back for other seminars, but it all depends on how many people come to Wednesday’s seminar.

“I’m hoping that this is something that we will kick off and have every few months and it’s free, that’s the main thing,” Brown said. “It’s something you can learn for free.”

Participants may register beforehand by calling Foster at 866-681-3962 ext. 262, though pre-registration is not mandatory.

For more information contact the Ironton Health Department at 532-2172.