Approximately 75 percent of the country's housing built before 1978 is likely to contain lead-based paint, a hazard known to cause delays in physical and mental development and even death in children, while causing high blood pressure and reproductive problems in adults.

Combating this threat are Adrianne Weir and Linda Block, coordinators for UNC Asheville's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. Together they teach "Lead-Safe Work Practices," a class combining hands-on practice, slide show presentations and group problem-solving activities. Block holds certification from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services as a risk assessor, while Weir is a certified lead inspector.

The eight-hour course educates painters, renovators, maintenance workers, realtors and anyone working on home improvement projects on structures built before 1978 about ways they can protect themselves and their clients from adverse health effects caused by lead. Participants who successfully complete the course receive a protective suit and booties, an N-100 dusk mask, course materials and a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development certificate.

The course will be held at the Asheville Friends Meeting House, 227 Edgewood Rd., at 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 27. The cost is $60 and the deadline to register is June 23.

For more information about "Lead-Safe Work Practices," call 828/251-6104 or visit http://orgs.unca.edu/eqi/lpp/training.html.