Summary Information
Allegheny County, Pa. Health Department Lead Survey Records
AIS.1990.14
Allegheny County (Pa.). Health Dept.
Bulk, 1974-1975
1971-1975
28.75 linear feet
Language: English
Abstract: The Allegheny County Health Department Lead Survey, 1971-1975, was part of a nationwide effort to identify and treat cases of lead poisoning in preschool children and to remove environmental lead hazards from their homes. The Lead Survey records consist of the Administrative series (correspondence within the department and with external agencies, grant applications, records of expenses, notes on department meetings, lead testing procedures, and equipment), the Blood Lead series (individuals’ blood lead test results and summaries of the data), and the Environmental Lead Abatement series (lead test results for individual addresses and composite data per region).
ULS Archives Service Center
University of Pittsburgh Library System
7500 Thomas Boulevard
Pittsburgh, PA, 15260
412-648-3232
archives-ref@mail.pitt.edu
August 2005
Finding aid prepared by Donnis Headley.
History
The Allegheny County, Pa. Health Department Lead Survey Records span the years 1971 to 1975. It represents an early stage in the ongoing nationwide effort to improve children’s well being by eradicating unhealthful amounts of lead in their surroundings and bodies. Although it later became part of the national blood lead survey, Allegheny County’s Lead Survey began as a pilot study of a local blighted neighborhood. Tests of the neighborhood’s children showed that they had lower levels of lead exposure than their peers in other cities. Health Department officials sought to determine if the relatively low incidence of lead poisoning occurred because health care providers were not looking for it or because the Allegheny County children’s lives were somehow different from those of their counterparts in other cities. As explained in the Allegheny County Health Department‘s March 1, 1972 Lead Poisoning Control Program book (pages 3-4), “These questions concern us, and provide the basis for our interest in establishment of a lead poisoning control project in Allegheny County...” to gain answers and “provide ...effective lead poisoning detection.”
The Allegheny County Lead Survey project was performed under the leadership of Dr. Albert H. Brunwasser, with Drs. Penn Lupovic, Roger Juselius, and Richard Moriarty, assisted by Robert Kambic, Janet Bonk, nurses, laboratory personnel, and teams of paraprofessional workers who were recruited from local communities and trained in survey methods. The Health Department continued to assess and document lead levels in children’s blood and in their homes through 1975, when funding was discontinued. Although the Braddock, Hill District, Homestead, Homewood-Brushton, North Braddock, North Side-Manchester, Rankin, Turtle Creek Valley, and Wilkinsburg neighborhoods were surveyed, some areas of the County had not been studied at the program’s conclusion, and the reason for the lower-than-expected blood lead levels does not appear to have been found.
Collection Scope and Content Notes
The records of the Allegheny County, Pa. Health Department Lead Survey date from 1971 to 1975. This collection falls into three main series: Administrative records, Blood Lead data, and Environmental Lead Abatement data.
The Administrative series affords an overview of the entire project through grant applications, correspondence, reports and publications, and notes on environmental lead testing equipment. Blood lead data makes up most of the collection, in amounts varying by year collected, rising to a 1974 peak. The Blood Lead series also includes permission slips, patient records (case files, index cards), and summaries of data. The Environmental Lead Abatement Data includes documentation on individual residences and summaries of this data grouped by census tract, street, and zip code.
All three series make reference to the “N.B.S.” This abbreviation stands for the National Bureau of Standards, whose personnel advised the administrators of local blood lead surveys during this period.
Subject Terms
- Lead -- Toxicology -- Research -- Pennsylvania -- Allegheny County
- Lead abatement -- Research -- Pennsylvania -- Allegheny County
- Lead poisoning -- Research -- Pennsylvania -- Allegheny County
- Allegheny County (Pa.). Health Dept.
- Pennsylvania. Bureau of Community Environmental Control.
- Pittsburgh (Pa.). Code Enforcement Advisory Committee.
- Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Planning Commission.
- United States. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare.
- United States. National Bureau of Standards.
- Bonk, Janet
- Brunwasser, Albert H.
- Juselius, Roger
- Kambic, Robert
- Lupino, Penn
- Moriarty, Richard
- Allegheny County (Pa.)
- Braddock (Pa.)
- Clairton (Pa.)
- East Pittsburgh (Pa.)
- Hill District (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Homestead (Pa.)
- Homewood (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Manchester (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- McKeesport (Pa.)
- North Braddock (Pa.)
- North Side (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Oakland (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Pitcairn (Pa.)
- Turtle Creek (Pa.)
- Wilkinsburg (Pa.)
- Correspondence
- Questionnaires
- Surveys (Documents)
- Environment
- Government
- Health and medicine
Access and Use
This collection is for statistical use only. Qualified researchers shall make special application in writing to the Head of the Archives Service Center requesting access to the Records of the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Health Department Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Project OR "Requests for use of the records shall be made in writing to the Chief of Biostatistics of the Allegheny County Health Department".
Gift of Allegheny County Health Department, on October 9, 1991.
Allegheny County, Pa. Health Department Lead Survey Records, 1971-1975, AIS.1990.14, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
This collection was processed by Donnis Headley in August 2005.
All rights reserved. University of Pittsburgh.
The following four publications are available through the University Library System: Allegheny County Health Department Lead Based Paint Survey Manual. Pittsburgh, Pa.: Allegheny County Health Department.
Allegheny County Health Department Lead Poisoning Control Program. Pittsburgh, Pa.: Allegheny County Health Department, 1972.
Increased Lead Absorption and Lead Poisoning in Young Children: A Statement by the Center for Disease Control. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Public Health Service. March 1975.
Lin-Fu, Jane S. Childhood Lead Poisoning…an Eradicable Disease. Reprinted by the U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare, Health Services and Mental Health Administration, Maternal and Child Health Service, from Children, January-February 1970, No. 1, 2-9.
Collection Inventory
Series I. Administrative
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Scope and Content Notes: This series includes correspondence, quarterly and monthly reports, publications, grant applications, office management documents (memos, bills for supplies), subject files, and environmental lead abatement documents. The grant applications in Box 3, FF 7-10 provide an overview of the project, as does the Allegheny County Lead Poisoning Control Program publication in Box 3, FF 30, which may be compared to the County’s Lead Hazard Procedures and Project Retrospective publication (Box 3, FF 34), and the March 12, 1975 computer-generated ACHD-NBS Report of encoded data in Box 4. Also of interest are Box 1, FF 19 (a May 2, 1975 letter on hemoglobin and blood lead levels) and FF 24 (“Body Lead Kinetics”), which indicate possible alternative analyses for lead survey data.
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Box 1
| Folder |
1-3 |
Contracts, undated
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| Folder |
4-22 |
Correspondence, 1971-1975
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| Folder |
23-25 |
Data handling, undated
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| Folder |
26-31 |
Employee-related, undated
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| Folder |
32 |
Publicity, undated
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| Folder |
33-46 |
Reports, monthly, 1972-1974
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| Folder |
47 |
System for doing quarterly reports, worksheets, undated
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Box 2
| Folder |
1 |
Reports, 1972-1975
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| Folder |
2 |
NBS work estimates and weekly reports, September 1974-January 1975
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| Folder |
3-6 |
Reports, quarterly, 1972-1975
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| Folder |
7 |
Report: NBS progress statement, undated
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| Folder |
8 |
Results of meeting with HUD, WBS, ACHD, GSPH, 1975
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| Folder |
9-16 |
Subject files, undated
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| Folder |
17-21 |
Supplies ordered, undated
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| Folder |
22 |
Budget uniform invoices, undated
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| Folder |
23 |
Billing from Children's Hospital, 1973-1975
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| Folder |
24-33 |
Billing from Clinical Pathology Laboratory, January-December 1974
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| Folder |
34-39 |
Bills and invoices from Clinical Pathology Laboratory, February-July 1975
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| Folder |
40 |
Lab accounting sheets (pigs' bloods), 1974-1975
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| Folder |
41 |
Billing from Iron City University and Towel, undated
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Box 3
| Folder |
1-6 |
Environmental lead abatement action taken, undated
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| Folder |
7-10 |
Grant applications, 1972-1976
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| Folder |
11-14 |
Forms, undated
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| Folder |
15-26 |
Lead detector use and testing, undated
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| Folder |
27-28 |
Lead paint poisoning control programs, Chicago and Philadelphia, undated
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| Folder |
29 |
Legal action taken, undated
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| Folder |
30-37 |
Publications by Allegheny County Health Department, National Bureau of Standards (NBS), Bureau of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), undated
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Box 4
| Folder |
1-3 |
Encoded data, undated
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| Folder |
4 |
Encoded data-based ACHD-NBS Report, March 12, 1975
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Series II. Blood Lead
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Scope and Content Notes: The bulk of raw data in this series consists of blood lead test results obtained by “micro-atomic absorption techniques (fingerstick).” These are referred to as “Micros” throughout the Lead Survey Collection documents. As stated on page 5 of the Allegheny County Health Department publication
Lead Poisoning Control Program (found in box 3, the Administrative Series), these lead test results were interpreted as follows: 45 micrograms per 100 milliliters of whole blood (45 micrograms percent) will be interpreted as indicating exposure, with at least further observation warranted; 65 micrograms percent warrants close medical supervision; and 85 micrograms percent indicates lead poisoning and warrants immediate treatment. (Note: these critical blood-lead levels are of greater magnitude than the levels suggested by the Surgeon General because local experience has shown that an upward adjustment of 5 micrograms percent is necessary when the micro technique is used).
When lead exposure was noted, “further macro studies” (page 19,
Lead Poisoning Control Program) were conducted. These are identified as “Macros” in the Lead Survey Collection. The “Child Health Conferences” mentioned in Box 16 contain appointments with Lead Study nurses to which parents brought their children. The Child Health Conference appointments, held at regional community centers, replaced the home visits made by Lead Study nurses at the beginning of the program. Box 17 consists of case files, and all but one, labeled “Industrial,” are for children suffering from lead poisoning. The numbered case files begin with “#0000016”, and with “#9000001.”
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| Box |
5-7 |
Permission slips, alphabetized, undated
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Box 8
| Folder |
1 |
Braddock, cases 1-28, undated
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| Folder |
2 |
Combined housing and blood lead tests conducted by CMU students, 1972-1973
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| Folder |
3-6 |
Lab and permission slips normal micro, 1972
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| Folder |
7 |
Office copies normal and abnormal micro, 1972
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| Folder |
8-19 |
Lab and permission slips normal micro, January-October 1973
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Box 9
| Folder |
1-3 |
Lab copies and permission slips normal micro, August-December 1973
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| Folder |
4-5 |
Lab copies and permissions slips abnormal micro, February-October 1973
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| Folder |
6 |
Lab copies and permission slips abnormal micro and abnormal macro class III, January-September 1973
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| Folder |
7 |
Lab copies and permission slips normal macro, February-October 1973
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| Folder |
8-9 |
Office copies normal micro, July-December 1973
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| Folder |
10 |
preschool children not tested, 1973
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| Folder |
11-12 |
Federal and lab copies normal micro, January, April-June 1974
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| Folder |
13-20 |
Federal copies initial, normal micro, April-August 1974
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Box 10
| Folder |
1-10 |
Federal copies normal micro, May-September 1974
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| Folder |
11 |
Federal copies normal micro ("duplicate forms not listed as duplicate on printouts"), July-September 1974
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| Folder |
12-22 |
Federal copies normal micro, August-December 1974
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Box 11
| Folder |
1-2 |
Federal copies normal micro, November-December 1974
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| Folder |
3 |
Federal copies normal and abnormal micro, September-December 1974
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| Folder |
4 |
federal copies repeat micro, September-December 1974
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| Folder |
5-6 |
Federal copies normal and abnormal micro, October-December 1974
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| Folder |
7-18 |
Lab copies normal micro, January-April 1974
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| Folder |
19 |
Lab copies normal and abnormal micro, January-March 1974
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| Folder |
20 |
Federal and lab micro: normal, abnormal, repeat, January-June 1974
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Box 12
| Folder |
1-2 |
Federal and lab copies normal and abnormal microa and macro, January-April 1974
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| Folder |
3 |
Federal and lab copies normal macro, March-July 1974
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| Folder |
4 |
Lab copies Normal micro May 1974, abnormal micro May-June and November 1974, federal and lab copies normal and abnormal macro third quarter 1974, 1974
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| Folder |
5 |
Federal copies normal and abnormal macro, October, December 1974
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| Folder |
6 |
Federal copies initial macro, November-December 1974
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| Folder |
7-16 |
Office copies normal micro, January-March 1974
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Box 13
| Folder |
1-17 |
Office copies normal micro, March-December 1974
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Box 14
| Folder |
1 |
Federal and office copies normal micro, January 1875
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| Folder |
2-12 |
Federal copies normal micro, January-March 1975
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Box 15
| Folder |
1-5 |
Federal copies normal micro, February-April 1975
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| Folder |
6 |
Federal copies normal, rescreen, repeat, April-June 1975
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| Folder |
7 |
Federal copies abnormal micro (40-49), January 1975
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| Folder |
8 |
Federal copies initial and repeat micro, January 1975
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| Folder |
9 |
Federal copies initial and repeat abnormals, April-June 1975
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| Folder |
10 |
Federal copies micro rescreen, repeat abnormal and macro rescreen, repeat normal, April-May 1975
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| Folder |
11 |
Federal copies micro rescreen, repeat normal and macro initial and repeat, June 1975
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| Folder |
12-16 |
All bloods drawn, 1972/1973
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| Folder |
17-21 |
All bloods drawn, request numbers 6-9 and 12, 1973
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| Folder |
22-30 |
All bloods drawn in alphabetical order by name of phlebotomist, 1973-1974
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Box 16
| Folder |
1-7 |
Blood leads grouped by neighborhood, undated
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| Folder |
8-12 |
All bloods drawn, request numbers 6-9 and 1291-1614, 1974
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| Folder |
13-18 |
All bloods drawn in alphabetical order by name of phlebotomist, 1974-1975
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| Folder |
19-23 |
Clinical pathology results, March-December 1975
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| Folder |
24-29 |
Clinic control rosters, 1973-1974
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| Folder |
30 |
Clinic schedules, 1973
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| Folder |
31 |
School lead testing, 1973
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| Folder |
32-34 |
Child health conferences, 1974
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| Folder |
35-48 |
Child health conferences, 1974-1975
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Box 17
| Folder |
1-14 |
Case files without case numbers, undated
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| Folder |
15-96 |
Numbered case files: #0000016-0000022, #9000001-9100085, undated
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Series III. Environmental Lead Abatement
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Scope and Content Notes: The Environmental Lead Abatement Data includes evidence of census ranking to select areas to be surveyed, and site surveys of facilities and homes (arranged by census tract, street, zip code, year, and survey team). Box 18 also contains one file on the 1973 Christmas Toy Survey (analysis of lead content of purchased toys) and two files containing analyses of facilities for children, apparently completed at the institutions’ request.
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Box 18
| Folder |
1-5 |
Census tract ranking for lead sampling, undated
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| Folder |
6 |
Survey Areas, McKeesport and North Side, undated
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| Folder |
7-48 |
Surveys of Buildings #1-43 in Hawkins Village, Rankin, Pa., 1973
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| Folder |
49-60 |
Surveys of Buildings #1-12 in Mapleview Terrace, Braddock, Pa., 1973
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| Folder |
61-71 |
Surveys of Buildings #1-11 in Prospect Terrace, East Pittsburgh, Pa., 1973
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| Folder |
72-76 |
Surveys of Talbot Towers Buildings A-E, 1973
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| Folder |
77 |
Macro Survey, 1973
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| Folder |
78 |
522 Tenth St., Pitcairn, Pa., 1973
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| Folder |
80 |
Surveys of lead-poisoned children's residences, 1972-1973
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| Folder |
81 |
Homes surveyed but blood tests refused for resident children, undated
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| Folder |
82 |
Soil and water surveys, June 1973
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| Folder |
83 |
Surveys grouped by census and zip codes, 1974
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| Folder |
84-87 |
Team lead housing reports, tallies, 1974-1975
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| Folder |
88 |
Christmas toy survey, 1973
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| Folder |
89-90 |
Public facilities surveys, undated
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| Folder |
91 |
Clairton-Blair Heights survey, 1973
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Box 19
| Folder |
1-6 |
Dwelling unit surveys in census tracts #306-371, undated
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| Folder |
7-32 |
Dwelling unit surveys grouped by first letter of street name, A-W,Y,Z, undated
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| Box |
20-23 |
Mailing materials (appointment cards, envelopes - addressed, not sent), undated
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