Thousands of water fountains, faucets and water bottle refilling stations in New York City schools sat unable to be used for several months as they waited on additional repairs or tests to remove lead, according to a new report issued by the city Comptroller’s Office. According to a report on Gothamist.com, the audit found more than 5,700 water fixtures had lead levels that violated environmental regulations in 2018 and 2019. Of those only 537, or less than 10%, were repaired and ready for follow-up testing within a month of being flagged.
What the Audit Shows
Comptroller Scott Stringer said in a statement that his office found that the Department of Education’s testing and repairs of lead pipes was “perennially delayed,” potentially exposing students and staff to lead poisoning due to dangerous levels of lead in school drinking water. The report found that 11% of school water sources inspected between 2016 and 2019 had high lead levels, adding up to 15,860 fixtures across 1,323 schools. Overall 84% of city schools had at least one water fixture with elevated lead levels.
Of the city boroughs, Brooklyn ranked highest in terms of schools with the most dangerous levels of lead followed by Queens, the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island. Two neighborhoods in the Bronx (Bathgate and Melrose) and three in Brooklyn (East New York, Bushwick and Brownsville) recorded as the zip codes with the highest number of lead-affected fixtures. These are also neighborhoods with older buildings. Often, the age of a building is a factor when it comes to higher lead levels.
Stringer’s office has recommended that the Department of Education (DOE) do a better job of tracking water fixture testing as well as the timeliness of repairs. The audit shows the department has not kept up with records of inspections or repairs, an assertion that the DOE disputes. The Comptroller’s Office has also urged DOE to make sure the fixtures are tested when school is fully in session because samples tested over the summer months tend to skew higher when it comes to lead levels.
New York’s state legislature passed a bill last month that would lower the acceptable amount of lead in school drinking water by a third (from 15 parts per billion to 5 parts per billion). If the new action level were adopted, nearly 9,100 of outlets in city schools would require repairs, according to a recent analysis.
Lead Affects Children
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 your child has been affected by lead in schools, or as a result of living in a private apartment complex or in a public New York City Housing Authority (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 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://gothamist.com/news/nyc-schools-left-thousands-lead-contaminated-water-spouts-unfixed-months-sometimes-years-audit