Personal Injury Lawyers in New York

New York lacks a state law requiring landlords to monitor lead levels in their housing units. According to New York state law, a dwelling's lead levels must be checked only after a doctor diagnoses a child with lead poisoning. So, it seems, only after children get sick with lead poisoning, are lead levels actually checked for toxicity. A representative of the New York City Coalition to End Lead Poisoning stated, "You are using children as biological Geiger counters to look for lead. The effects are permanent brain damage. It's absurd to do things this way." In Oneida County, New York, a staggering 7.6% of children tested showed elevated levels of lead in their blood.

Studies have shown that childhood lead poisoning can cause permanent cognitive deficits as well as many other health problems. Lead poisoning can affect almost every organ system of the body including:

Brain and central nervous system:
Lower IQ
Headaches
Memory problems
Reduced coordination
Learning disabilities
Hyperactivity
Seizures
Hearing loss
Vomiting
Fatigue

Gastrointestinal system:
Abdominal pain
Diarrhea
Constipation
Vomiting
Loss of appetite
Weight loss

Circulatory system:
Anemia
Low blood cell counts

Reproductive system:

Premature birth
Low birth weight
Miscarriages

The most frequent cause of lead poisoning is lead paint in homes built before lead paint was banned in 1978. Until 1978, lead paint was commonly used on the interiors and exteriors of homes. It is estimated that 38 million U.S. homes still contain lead paint.

New York City and Monroe County, New York (where Rochester is located) are the only places in the entire state where parents can get a free lead test of their homes. In the rest of the state, if a family moves into an aging rental apartment where there is paint peeling from the wall and paint dust on the windows, they have no legal means to get their landlord to check for lead. The local government will not check for lead either. The checks will only take place after a doctor diagnoses a child with lead poisoning.

A representative of the New York City Coalition to End Lead Poisoning pointed out that research has shown that lead poisoned children cost governments billions of dollars in medical and educational help, incarceration and lost earning potential.

If you or a loved one has suffered from lead poisoning in New York City or Long Island—including Nassau and Suffolk counties, please contact the Lead Poisoning Law Offices of Silberstein, Awad & Miklos.