Norristown Reaches Lead Safety 'Milestone,' But Dangers Lurk

NORRISTOWN, PA — Norristown officials are touting improvements from across their building safety and codes departments as they reached an important milestone in lead safety this month.

The municipality now has at least 50 percent of all its rental housing units meeting "the highest standard" for lead safety, meaning that the homes are either lead free or lead safe.

"The Municipal Council is committed to safeguarding the health, safety, and welfare of its residents, and the adoption and implementation of this ordinance is a testament to that dedication,” Municipal Administrator Crandall Jones said.

Specifically, Jones pointed to the work of Building and Codes Compliance Manager Amrinder Singh in working with property owners, realtors, and community leaders across Norristown.

Norristown became the first municipality in Montgomery County to pass a lead safety ordinance in 2021. Local officials were responding to aging infrastructure and flagging enforcement of regulations that brought Norristown to have the highest levels of lead in the county. At one point, roughly one in three children had blood lead levels above 5 micrograms, the level determined by the CDC to be dangerous.

Still, the lead situation in Norristown remains poor. Officials said the municipality has four times more children with dangerously high blood lead counts than Flint, Michigan did during its water crisis in 2014.