Fight Against Child Lead Poisoning Continues With NYC Bills

NEW YORK — New York City could soon have the nation's toughest lead regulations under a package of legislation approved Wednesday, the City Council's leader says. The Council passed 10 bills that would require lead inspections under more circumstances, expand reporting requirements and require the city to raise awareness about childhood lead poisoning.

The legislation comes amid Mayor Bill de Blasio's push to end childhood lead exposure following scrutiny of the problem in the city's public housing.

The bills would give New York City the "most comprehensive, far-reaching lead laws" in the nation — but they're only worth anything if the city enforces them, Council Speaker Corey Johnson said. De Blasio still has to sign them if they're to become law.

"You can write the best laws on the books, pass the best laws that exist — if you don’t have proper enforcement it's not going to make a big difference," Johnson said.

One bill, sponsored by Johnson, would give the city a stricter standard for lead poisoning requiring an inspection that matches the federal standard. A gap between city and federal standards reportedly resulted in hundreds of children in public housing having elevated levels of lead without the city inspecting their homes in an effort find sources of exposure to the toxin.

The bill would also automatically ensure the city's standard matches the federal standard if it changes in the future, Johnson said.

Another bill would force the city Department of Health to examine any dwelling where a lead-poisoned kid spends at least 10 hours per week as a potential source of the problem. That would ensure probes cover cases in which kids are exposed to lead when they're with a temporary caretaker, said Councilman Daniel Dromm, the bill's sponsor.

"This bill fills a gap in the current code and, as a result, protects New York’s children from the myriad health risks associated with lead poisoning, including irreversibly impairing neurological development, causing behavioral disorders, and reducing educational attainment," Dromm said in a statement.

Some bills take aim at possible sources of lead poisoning outside of homes. One would require the city to use "first-draw" samples when testing water fixtures for lead instead of running the water first. The Department of Education changed how it conducts such tests after The New York Times revealed that fixtures ran for two hours before samples were obtained, possibly hiding the extent of lead problems in schools.

Another measure would require local community boards and Council members to be notified within five business days when dangerous lead levels are found in soil in connection with a city development project.

Councilman Robert Holden, the bill's sponsor, said a pile of lead-contaminated soil was once left across from a school for six months. The Department of Design and Construction told Holden the project was stopped because of "ash," he said.

"Apparently lead is a dirty word in New York City," Holden said.

Another bill passed Wednesday would require the Department of Environmental Protection to create a map with information about known lead water service lines and replace such lines by the end of 2025.

The legislation follows de Blasio's January unveiling of a plan to prevent and address childhood lead poisoning, a problem city officials say has become much less common over the years. The New York City Housing Authority has also contracted with seven companies to inspect about 135,000 apartments for lead paint starting this spring.