Following Disturbing Lead Investigation, Comptroller Stringer Calls On City Hall To Take Immediate Action to Remediate Lead Hotspots

(New York, NY) — Following the release of a disturbing investigation into the City’s lead remediation process, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer sent a letter to City Hall making clear the urgent need for the City to pick up the pace on ensuring the children of New York City are safe from lead exposure in their own homes. Comptroller Stringer’s investigation revealed a clear failure by the City to leverage its own Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) data to identify lead hotspots and use that data to target inspections by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). While City Hall has offered vague assurances it is reviewing the situation, Comptroller Stringer demanded that City agencies move swiftly to use the City data highlighted in the Comptroller’s report and proactively inspect all buildings associated with instances of lead exposure – particularly the 503 buildings where records showed three or more children registered blood levels higher than the City’s current action level.

“There is no acceptable amount of lead – and no reason for the City to sit back while lead paint poisons our children, period. Inspecting buildings that are likely lead hotspots is a basic and necessary step that must be taken by the City today. We owe it to all New Yorkers – especially our youngest – to do everything in our power to address lead in our buildings. Our investigation showed that the City failed to act on crucial data revealing hundreds of lead hotspots across the five boroughs instead of working aggressively to protect our children – that’s outrageous and it must change,” said New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. “City Hall officials must do more than make vague assurances with no details. That’s why I’m calling for data to confirm the City is inspecting the buildings they already know are endangering our children. City agencies have all the information they need today to proactively inspect all buildings associated with instances of lead exposure, and they should do so, without delay.”

Findings from Comptroller Stringer’s investigation include:

• For years the City allowed crucial data – namely thousands of children’s blood lead test results collected by DOHMH—to remain siloed within DOHMH, rather than using the data to proactively pinpoint lead exposure hotspots for inspection by the HPD. Instead, the City allowed HPD to rely almost exclusively on a reactive, complaint-driven inspection protocol, all but ignoring the hard, actionable data in possession of a sister agency.
• As a result, from 2013 through late 2018, 9,671 buildings under HPD jurisdiction, housing 11,972 children diagnosed with lead exposure (5 mcg/dL or greater), were not inspected by HPD lead inspectors. Indeed, HPD did not send lead inspectors to 503 buildings under its jurisdiction that DOHMH data showed had three or more children with blood levels at or above the 5 mcg/dL, which for years has been the action level recommended by the federal Center for Disease Control.

To read Comptroller Stringer’s letter to Mayor de Blasio, click here.

To read Comptroller Stringer’s lead investigation report, click here.

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