Lead Poisoning Nightmare Ensnarls East Village Family; Toxic Substance in All 5 Boros

By: Denis Cyr

The Health Department today recently released its latest Childhood Blood Lead Level Surveillance Quarterly Report covering the first and second quarters of 2020, from January to June. The number of children with elevated blood lead levels in the first and second quarters of the year went from 2,007 in 2019 to 1,346 in 2020, which is good news.

However, lead poisoning issues still persist in NYC.

Garvey Rich said workers spent eight months getting rid of lead from 32 spots at his East Village home after his toddler son tested positive for lead in July 2019 and The Post exposed the family’s travails.

The abatement job was a failure according to the NY Post, as it failed to remove all of the deadly substance from their home, the dad says.

NY Post reported: the lengthy removal process finished in July. Then a city Housing Preservation & Development inspector checked the work, performed by a private contractor hired by the landlord, in early August — and found lead still in two places, Rich told The Post on Sunday.

A judge issued an order Friday saying more abatement work must be done, starting Monday, and finishing within five days.

In 2019, a report from City Comptroller Scott Stringer showed that City Hall’s failure to protect tenants in public housing from the toxic substance extends to New York’s private housing stock in all five boroughs.

“Our investigation uncovered a systemic breakdown in our city’s bureaucracy that let thousands of our children fall through the cracks,” said Stringer at the report’s release last year. “The city is likely undercounting the number of lead-exposed children, and therefore our response is not matching the full crisis.”

Stringer evidently was correct, only it’s actually worse for private housing vs low-income housing children.

In the first six months of 2020, the rate of children with elevated blood lead levels associated with private housing was 12.2 per 1,000 children tested and among children who spent time in NYCHA housing, the rate was 5.2 per 1,000 children tested, according to the NYC dept of health.

NYC DOH also reported:

The COVID-19 pandemic has likely affected these numbers considerably. The public health emergency has led to significant changes in health care utilization – including a drop in blood lead testing among children. The number of children tested in March and April 2020 declined 49% and 88%, respectively, compared to the same period in 2019.