A recent report from the city’s Department of Investigation has accused the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) (The Projects) of violating federal lead-paint regulations for many years and exposing several children to the danger of lead poisoning. According to a WABC news article, the report is a result of a joint investigation conducted by the Department of Investigation, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
What the Investigation Found
The report says NYCHA (The Projects) failed to ensure that EPA-certified 
supervisors oversaw all jobs to remove lead paint from its buildings between 2013 and 2018. The report states that this meant the agency did not succeed in making sure that all jobs were conducted safely and in compliance with regulations. The Department of Investigation and its partners have reportedly reached out to potential victims.
A report by The City says at least 19 children contracted lead poisoning while living in these public housing apartments (the Projects) that NYCHA supervisors falsely claimed had been properly cleaned of lead paint. The children, all under 6, lived in 18 of the hundreds of apartments that managers running NYCHA’s lead paint-abatement unit said had undergone work authorized by the federal government to remove the toxin.
The three-year investigation found that workers with necessary credentials were forced to sign off on cleanup jobs they had not even overseen. The investigative report was spurred by a whistleblower. It found 900 cases between 2016 and the summer of 2018 in which NYCHA (the Projects) lied, swearing to the EPA that the lead paint in the apartments had been repaired under the supervision of a qualified professional – which was not true – according to the investigation.
The Department of Investigation’s report comes over two years after the city health department was forced to reveal in 2018 that more than 1,100 children living in NYCHA (the Projects) had been lead poisoned in the prior six years. During its three-year investigation, the Department of Investigation found a longstanding pattern of deception in NYCHA’s lead paint unit. They tracked down 163 work orders with fake signatures certifying that toxic lead paint had been removed from the apartments. Investigators also learned that the bogus certifications allowed NYCHA to claim 323 apartments were exempt from annual inspection for lead paint.
Adverse Health Effects of Lead Paint
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lead exposure can have serious consequences for children’s health. At high levels of exposure, lead attacks the brain and the central nervous system to cause coma, convulsions and even death. Children who suffer severe lead poisoning may be left with irreversible brain damage and behavioral issues. Even at lower levels of exposure that cause no obvious symptoms, lead is now known to produce a spectrum of injury across multiple body systems. In particular, lead can affect children’s brain development resulting in reduced intelligence quotient or IQ, behavioral changes such as reduced attention span and increased antisocial behavior. Lead exposure may also cause anemia, hypertension and kidney failure.
NYC 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 NYCHA (the Projects) or private landlords (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 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.
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Sources: https://www.thecity.nyc/2020/12/10/22168535/nycha-lied-lead-cleanup-public-housing-children-poisoned
https://abc7ny.com/nycha-report-lead-paint-regulations-nyc-public-housing-new-york-city-authority/8667776/