Protect Children From Lead Poisoning: Pass Intro 205!

In New York City today, 35,000 children suffer from lead-paint poisoning. Lead poisoning can cause devastating damage to a child’s brain, kidneys, and central nervous system. Children affected by it suffer behavioral problems, memory loss, and stunted development.

To a child and his or her parents, lead in the home is invisible. Most families don’t even know that their homes are contaminated before the damage is done. Children with lead poisoning require expensive long-term care and special education. And they are forever deprived of the potential they were born with.

Lead-paint poisoning is preventable. Most cases are caused by chips and dust from poorly maintained apartment walls, windows and doors. It most often occurs in old, poorly maintained buildings in communities of the city which are populated predominantly by people of color.

While New York City has one of the strongest laws in the country to protect against lead-paint poisoning, the city refuses to enforce it. The city’s health and housing departments only get seriously involved in abating lead conditions after a child in the home has been poisoned. Very little is done to force landlords to correct violations safely before children are poisoned. Met Council supports Intro 205, a bill which would update the city law, bringing it in line with current scientific understanding, and which would be easier for the city to enforce. Intro 205 is supported by 34 members of the City Council. Yet despite the fact that a majority of the members support the bill, the leader of the Council, Speaker Peter Vallone, won’t hold a hearing or bring Intro 205 up for a vote. The real-estate industry strongly opposes Intro 205. It supports substitute legislation which would seriously weaken the current law and make lead poisoning more prevalent. We need you to get involved in this life-and-death issue. Please write your Councilmember about this issue today (see sample letter). If you can write two letters, send one to Speaker Vallone, as well. If you can call your Councilmember on the phone, please do. If you would be willing to meet with your Councilmember on the issue of lead poisoning, along with other tenants and advocates, let us know.

Please write a letter today. Thousands of children depend on you for this help.

Sample Letter

Hon. (Your Councilmember)
City Council
City Hall
New York, NY 10007

Dear Mr./Ms.:

I am writing for your help in getting a public hearing on Intro 205, the New York City Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Bill.

Lead poisoning is a major environmental disease threatening our children. New York City has over 30,000 cases of lead-poisoned children. Thousands of new cases are reported each year. Even small amounts of lead can cause learning disabilities, hyperactivity, and impaired hearing in children. Intro 205 would be a reasonable and effective way to prevent this tragic childhood-health epidemic in New York City. The bill requires owners to inspect apartments and repair only peeling lead-paint conditions. The bill also covers schools, day-care centers and playgrounds. The bill would make the best use of scarce city resources in preventing lead poisoning. Intro 205 is the best way to correct conditions that cause lead poisoning before they damage children’s growing bodies.

I urge you to support Intro 205 today. Get behind this bill which has the support of more than 85 tenant, health, environmental, parent, religious and housing groups, in addition to 50 leading New York City physicians. Thank you. I await your prompt reply.

Sincerely, Signed