Mayor Zohran Mamdani has begun implementing a $10-million lead abatement strategy across New York City including at a number of child care centers on New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) properties. According to a QNS.com news report, two Queens-based centers that had tested positive for lead — Bland Day Care Center in Flushing and Queensbridge South in Long Island City — have already undergone lead-related repairs to reduce risk of lead poisoning.
What Has Happened with Lead Paint Repairs So Far
Seven more child care centers are expected to undergo these repairs this fall. Those properties include locations at Baisley Park Houses and South Jamaica II in Jamaica; Carleton Manor in Arverne; Ocean Bay Apartments (Oceanside) in Arverne; Ravenswood Day Care Center in Astoria and Redfern on Beach Channel Drive and on Hassock Street, both in Far Rockaway. This round of lead abatement builds on previous testing through NYCHA’s Lead-Based Paint Abatement Program of all 75 childcare centers on NYCHA campuses.
In November 2024 Queensbridge Police Athletic League Daycare Center in Long Island City was tested and repaired after two children showed high levels of lead in their blood. According to a NYCHA spokesperson, the housing authority completed XRF lead testing — which uses X-ray fluorescence to detect and measure lead paint instantly on walls and surfaces — in over 138,000 units. Over 20,000 units have undergone lead paint repairs so far, officials said.
The next phase of work will continue to test daycare centers at NYCHA properties. Locations that test positive will be included in NYCHA’s visual assessment program and any deteriorating lead paint will be stabilized and repaired, according to officials. In addition, NYCHA plans to speed up lead-based abatement in apartments where children under the age of 6 years live or routinely visit.
Why Lead Harms Young Children
Lead is especially harmful to young children because their bodies and brains are still developing, and they absorb lead more easily than adults. Here is how lead affects young children:
Brain development: Lead could damage the developing brain and nervous system, leading to lower IQ, learning difficulties, attention problems and even behavioral issues.
Lead absorption: Young children absorb more lead compared to adults.
Brain growth: During the first few years of life, the brain forms important connections. Lead can interfere with these processes, causing effects that may last a lifetime.
Harm caused: Research shows that there is no known safe level of lead exposure in children and even low levels can affect development.
Because children with lead exposure often do not show obvious symptoms at first, testing is important if they are at risk. Higher levels of lead can cause symptoms such as stomach pain, vomiting, fatigue, irritability, developmental delays, seizures or other serious medical problems.
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) or if your child has been exposed to lead through contaminated water in school, 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 very 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. It is in the best interest of injured victims and their families in such cases to contact a very experienced personal injury lawyer before contacting the people responsible for the injuries, and definitely before contacting or communicating with any insurance company, or their lawyers, investigators, or adjusters.
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 fought hard and 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. 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 cases, negligence cases, motor vehicle accidents, slip-and-fall accidents, trip-and-fall accidents, ceiling collapse cases, lead poisoning, paraplegia cases, quadriplegia cases and medical malpractice cases including, brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) and cerebral palsy 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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Source:https://qns.com/2026/07/queens-lead-abatement-nycha-child-care-centers/