The city’s Health Department has released a report covering all four quarters of
2020, which shows the number of children with elevated blood lead levels declined from 3,739 in 2019 to 2,982 in 2020. However, the Harlem World Magazine points out that the lower numbers in 2020 are because the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on testing last year.
Health officials said the coronavirus pandemic affected all areas of New Yorkers’ lives including when it came to seeking and accessing healthcare. The report stated that among children who lived in private housing, the number of children with higher blood lead levels went from 3,635 children in 2019 to 2,903 in 2020.
Measures to Monitor Lead Exposure
In 2020, the rate of children the age of 6 or under with elevated blood levels living in private housing was 11.5 per 1,000 children tested. Among children who spent time in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) (the Projects), the rate was 5.3 per 1,000 children tested. Officials say they are weighing this data while recognizing that the pandemic likely affected the number of people who brought their children to get tested for lead poisoning or lead exposure.
The Health Department has issued guidance to healthcare providers promoting the need for lead testing during routine medical appointments and has sent mailings to families whose child missed their one- or two-year-old test, urging them to make an appointment. The department’s nurses also continue to monitor NYC’s childhood blood lead registry on a daily basis and make calls to families and healthcare providers of children who have a blood lead level of 5 milligrams per deciliter of blood or greater to remind them to set up and keep appointments for follow-up testing.
Decline in Lead Screenings
In January 2019, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the LeadFreeNYC plan to prevent exposure to lead hazards and respond quickly and comprehensively if a child has an elevated blood lead level. In New York City, which was hit by an early wave of COVID-19 cases, childhood lead screenings declined by 88% in April 2020. Also, in New York City, preliminary data submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that the share of young children with elevated blood lead levels was essentially flat over the first three-quarters of 2020, after years of steady declines.
Inspectors have also been lagging behind when it comes to inspections at housing units operated by the NYCHA or “The Projects”. A number of young children have been at risk of lead exposure in not only in NYCHA units, but also a number of other private housing complexes around the New York City.
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 injuries 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 NYCHA 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/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
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Source: https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com/get-the-lead-out-health-department-releases-lead-report-for-four-quarters-of-2020/