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TO PARENTS OF YOUNG CHILDREN – LEAD POISONING ALERT

(Article published in HWW April 2007)


This isn’t a scary story to tell you that the city has failed to protect you from lead poison. This isn’t another report about how many lead paint violations have been cited against about apartments in the HSP (Housing Stability Plus) program.

This is a reminder that you, the parents, are in charge of your child’s growth and development. More important, it’s a plea that you become an informed advocate for your child’s health.

Two months ago the tabloid Daily News caused quite a stir in the city when it reported that many children in city-subsidized apartments had been exposed to lead poisoning. The problem was kids picking up and eating peeling paint . Next, the Coalition for the Homeless released its study showing an alarming number of apartments in the city’s Housing Stability Plus (HSP) program were cited for lead paint violations. Within days the Department of Homeless Services was promising to enforce tighter inspection standards.

Let’s hope it happens. Meantime you parents are your child’s best defense. Here are a few things you can do:

If there is peeling and flaking paint in your apartment, tell the landlord. (It doesn’t matter if you’re in HSP or another kind of apartment , the law applies) If the landlord doesn’t fix it NOW, call 311.

Get your child lead tested. New York State law requires that your children are tested for lead poisoning at ages 1 and 2. See that it happens.

According to the NYC Department Of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York State requires health care providers to yearly assess all children ages 6 months to 6 years for risk of lead exposure and to provide their families with education about lead poisoning.

Check out the department’s website – City Health Information – which provides a lot of information about lead paint poisoning. For example, "Children under the age of 6 are extremely vulnerable to lead poisoning because their brains and central nervous systems are still being formed, according to the National Safely Council," the site cautioned. "Lead poisoning can cause attention deficit disorders, behavioral problems, stunted growth, kidney damage and reduced IQ, among other problems."

If you have complaints about conditions in an HSP apartment, call the DHS Department of Client Advocacy, at 1 (800) 994-6494 or Quality Assurance at (212) 361-7368.