An extensive investigation by THE CITY tells the story of an 8-year-old girl who
lives in the Tompkins Houses in Brooklyn, a public housing complex owned and operated by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) (The Projects). THE CITY’s investigation has revealed that more than 5,000 so-called “lead free” public housing apartments (the Projects), including some at the Tompkins, still contain lead paint and the number of these contaminated apartments is likely to grow with new test results that are based on a lead-detecting device called XRF, pending for another 40,000 units.
The details about these units emerged after NYCHA was forced to re-inspect 134,000 apartments that officials suspected might contain lead. That included 84,000 units that had been previously falsely declared as lead-free. The re-inspections began in 2018 after federal prosecutors had filed a complaint detailing years of deceit by NYCHA managers to cover up horrific conditions in the housing units, from toxic mold and rodent infestations to toxic lead paint.
Case of Severe Lead Poisoning
The family of the young girl featured by THE CITY article lives in the Tompkins apartment. The girl was born in October 2013, just days before NYCHA allegedly falsified lead disclosures to the federal government. The girl’s mother said she tried to protect her child from the lead paint hazards in the home by sweeping up paint chips that peeled and fell from the wall to mopping paint dust and residue from the floor.
When the child was 2, her grandmother began to detect changes in her granddaughter. She was acting “strange.” The child had trouble falling asleep and couldn’t keep food down. In August 2016, when the girl was nearly 3 years old, she was taken to a required doctor’s exam before enrolling in preschool.
When doctors checked her blood lead level, they found it to be extremely high ¬– 32 micrograms per deciliter — more than six times the level at which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says medical intervention is required. A repeat test two days later registered the lead level at 37 micrograms per deciliter, which is essentially acute lead poisoning.
The Adverse Effects of Child Lead Poisoning
According to the CDC, lead exposure can seriously harm young children. Exposure to lead can cause impaired brain development resulting in reduced intelligence quotient or IQ, behavioral changes such as decreased attention span and increased anti-social behavior, and reduced academic achievement.
Exposure to lead may also cause anemia, hypertension, kidney problems and toxicity to the immune system and reproductive organs. The neurological and behavioral effects of lead poisoning are believed to be irreversible. There is no blood lead concentration that can be considered “safe.” We know now that even blood lead concentrations that are termed low may be associated with decreased intelligence in children, behavioral issues and learning difficulties. As lead exposure increases, the range and severity of symptoms also increases.
New York Lead Poisoning Lawyer
Whether you have been living as a tenant at a private apartment complex or in a public housing unit (the Projects), please remember that you have legal rights. If your child has been diagnosed with high blood lead levels, regardless of whether you live in public or private housing, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) (the Projects) or private building owners and building managers for damages. Those who have been affected can seek compensation for damages including medical expenses, cost of diagnostic tests, permanent injuries, lost income and benefits, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
If your child has been affected by lead poisoning, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
Our firm recovered $1,162,500 for a child who suffered lead poisoning from paint in her apartment. The child’s injuries were subtle and difficult to recognize. We recovered $162,500 above the $1 million dollar total insurance policy in this case. Despite the judge’s efforts to settle the case for $950,000, we fought hard and recovered $162,500 more than the insurance policy of one million dollars. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury and/or medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: https://www.thecity.nyc/2021/11/28/22806530/nycha-lead-paint-lies-brooklyn-girl-poisoned-public-housing