Lead Paint In Homes Is Still Endangering Newark Kids, Group Says

NEWARK, NJ — Using lead paint in New Jersey homes was banned in 1978 due to its suspected link to severe health risks. But paint is still chipping off windowsills and other surfaces in many Newark houses that were built in 1977 or earlier, and which can still contain copious amounts of the hazardous substance. And it’s a problem that may be a key contributor to a higher-than-average rate of childhood lead poisoning in the city, according to a recent study.

On Tuesday, Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ) released their 2018 Newark Kids Count report, which claimed that “despite Newark’s progress in reducing the number of children with elevated blood lead levels, nearly a quarter of all tested Newark children under 6-years-old still have some harmful levels of lead in their blood.”

One of the major culprits has been Newark children’s exposure to lead in homes that used lead paint prior to the ban, the ACNJ stated.

“Lead exposure can cause lifelong harm including learning disabilities, behavior issues as well as damage to children’s physical health,” said ACNJ President/CEO Cecilia Zalkind.

But despite Newark’s higher than average childhood lead poisoning rate as compared to other New Jersey municipalities, there has been “little to no movement” in the city’s attempt to investigate and remove lead from local houses, the ACNJ claimed.

According to the group:

“In 2016, Newark completed 16 percent of home investigations while cities like Plainfield, Jersey City, Irvington, Paterson and Trenton completed nearly all or 100 percent of their investigations. That same year, no abatements were completed in Newark out of the 14 cases which were required by the city. Although the rate of young children tested with elevated blood lead levels of at least 5 micrograms per deciliter, the amount which would trigger action by the local health department, has gradually declined from 6.4 percent in 2012 to 4.7 percent in 2016, 24 percent of tested children under six-years-old had a range of 3-4 micrograms per deciliter.”

The city’s policies on testing are resulting in "neighborhood disparities in the rate of testing and the number of children tested with elevated blood lead levels," the group alleged.

According to the ACNJ:

“For instance, in 2015, only 40 percent of children under age 6 living in the West Ward’s Ivy Hill and Vailsburg sections were tested for lead, the lowest percentage throughout the city. In addition, 8.7 percent of these tested children had elevated blood levels, compared to 2.2 percent of tested children living in the Ironbound section.”

Read the full 2018 Newark Kids Count report here.

The presence of lead exposure in Newark has come under increased scrutiny after elevated lead levels were found at 30 local public schools in 2016. Officials shut off taps in dozens of schools after the discovery and waves of parents rushed to get children tested.

• See related article: Newark Schools Shut Off Water Taps In 30 Buildings: Elevated Lead Found, DEP Says
• See related article: Newark Was Warned, Memo Says: Lead In School Water Supply Is A 'Smoking Gun'

According to the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH), there are several potential sources of lead exposure besides house paint, such as soil, drinking water (due to use of lead pipes/solder), exposure to lead in the workplace or use of items that have lead in them.

A DOH fact sheet on lead in drinking water is available online here.

NEWARK HEALTH OFFICER: “HERE’S WHAT WE’RE DOING ABOUT IT”

Patch reached out to Newark city officials for their reaction to the 2018 Newark Kids Count report. Newark Health Officer Nicole Rondon provided the following reply:

“Childhood Lead Poisoning is an issue that we take very seriously. In addition to being New Jersey’s largest city, Newark’s high rates of child poverty and high number of homes built before 1978, cause our city to have a higher than average rate of childhood lead poisoning compared to other New Jersey municipalities. Newark has more children younger than six years of age with elevated blood lead levels (EBLLs) than any other municipality in New Jersey."

Rondon continued:

“We are working to reduce the number of children with lead poisoning through initiatives including unique lead-safe houses, widespread community involvement in outreach programs, housing remediation and more. We aggressively apply for government and private grants to expand our lead poisoning prevention programs and have been successful in obtaining them.”

According to Rondon, the city has several programs in place to help combat lead exposure:

Unique Lead-Safe Houses Program - “Newark established and locally administers the state’s only Lead-Safe Houses, which are municipally-owned properties. The Lead-Safe Houses are used to relocate residents who have a child with an EBLL and when the family has no other lead-safe housing alternatives. This is a great accomplishment that other municipalities have expressed an interest in also achieving.”

Partnership for Lead-Safe Children - “The City of Newark provides a primary prevention focused, community-based presence through the Newark Partnership for Lead-Safe Children. This partnership provides outreach, education and professional development opportunities to parents, property owners, child care providers and health, social services and housing professionals.”

Childhood Lead Prevention Program - “Under this program, the Newark Department of Health and Community Wellness (DHCW) has been actively managing a caseload of 136 with EBLLS >9 micrograms per deciliter (ug/dL). Further, the Department was recently awarded funding to expand case management and lead hazard remediation services to target the 526 children less than 6 years of age already identified with venous confirmed EBLLs, 5-9 ug/dL. This is consistent with the new legislation promulgated for handling cases of elevated blood levels.”

Housing Remediation - “It can take several years to complete the abatement process for a property where lead hazards are identified. The length of time between the initial report of an EBLL and the completion of the abatement process can be affected by a number of factors. These factors include, but are not limited to: difficulty in identifying and communicating with absentee property owners; lengthy enforcement actions and court proceedings against recalcitrant property owners; delays in contracting with and scheduling work to be performed by state-certified lead abatement contractors; and inability of property owners to obtain financial assistance to pay for the cost of the required abatement.”

Rondon said that the city is assessing and remediating the city's large stock of housing built before the 1970's where original lead-based paint has not been removed. The process is being coordinated with the HUD Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes.

“Since July [of 2017], 27 homes have been abated for lead hazards with an additional 13 in progress, set to be completed in the coming weeks,” Rondon wrote. “An additional 15 housing units have been approved and will begin the abatement process immediately following. The DHCW has established a goal of remediating 175 units by December 2019.”

She added:

“The DHCW continues to identify homes that are in need of lead remediation based on childhood lead levels that exceed the current standard and by homeowner request. The DHCW continues to ensure capacity is built to provide screening, case management, environmental intervention and efficient documentation of services provided to children.”

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