According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, lead poisoning is “the number one environmental threat to the health of children in the United States.” In their most recent survey, approximately 4.4% of all children aged 1-5 have levels of lead in their blood that equal or exceed the threshold level of concern established by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). And while these numbers are down from just a few years ago, lead exposure is a great concern.
Most lead-poisoned children have been exposed in their own homes. If you rent your apartment or home, controlling your family’s exposure to lead is more difficult to control. Many New York City apartments are older dwellings and even though lead-based paint has been banned for residential use since 1960 older buildings contain old layers of lead paint. Lead paint was typically used on kitchen and bathroom walls and throughout homes on doors, windows, and wooden trim. Unless tested you can’t be sure if it was used in your home or apartment. Before you move in, ask the landlord if the paint has ever been tested for lead. If it has, ask to see the results. However, landlords in New York State are not required to test paint for lead, nor are they required to allow a prospective tenant to test paint for lead before renting.
Symptoms of Lead Poisoning
The most common way children get exposed to lead is by mouth. They may chew on a window sill or other area that contains lead. Symptoms of lead poisoning vary. They may affect one area or many parts of the body. Typically, lead poisoning builds up slowly after many small exposures to lead.
Lead toxicity is rare after a single exposure or ingestion of lead.
Signs of repeated lead exposure include:
- Abdominal pain, cramps
- Aggressive behavior, irritability, fatigue
- Constipation
- Headaches
- Loss of developmental skills
- Loss of appetite
- High blood pressure, anemia. Kidney problems
- Numbness or tingling in the extremities
- Memory loss
NYC Lead Paint Notice
New York City law requires that tenants living in buildings with 3 or more apartments complete the attached form and return it to their landlord before February 15, each year. If you do not return this form, your landlord is required to visit your apartment to determine if children live in your apartment. This form also applies to dwellings built from 1960 – 1978 if the landlord knows lead paint was used.
Please see below for the form or click on the link below-
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/lead/lead-annual-notice.pdf
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Sources
http://www.ag.ny.gov/environmental/lead/lead-paint-hazards
http://www.healthline.com/health/lead-poisoning#Symptoms4
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/home/home.shtml
