Four out of five rentals have yet to comply as Cleveland’s lead-safe law enters next chapte
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Two years into the city of Cleveland’s efforts to proactively fight child lead-poisoning, roughly 80% of rental units haven’t been certified as lead-safe. Meanwhile, the city has begun testing its landmark 2019 lead law in housing court, issuing a handful of citations to negligent property owners in hopes of finding the right […]
Toxic pollutants can build up inside our homes. Here are 8 ways to reduce the risks
We know everything in our homes gathers dust. What you probably don’t know is whether there are toxic contaminants in your house dust, and where these might come from. Our newly published research found most of the dust inside homes came from outside and contains potentially toxic trace metals such as lead, arsenic and chromium. Worryingly, we […]
One of Rhode Island’s top ‘slumlords’ receives a Sunday morning wake up call
https://upriseri.com/one-of-rhode-islands-top-slumlords-receives-a-sunday-morning-wake-up-call/ About a dozen people approached the home of Anurag Sureka in an upscale neighborhood cul de sac in Walpole, Massachusetts on Sunday morning, holding signs that said, among other things, “Happy 20th Anniversary to Two of RI’s Top Slumlords” and “A Slumlord Lives Here.” They were there to deliver 25 or so letters, to Sureka from […]
EPA fines 22 home renovators and contractors for lead-based paint safety violations in Idaho and Washington
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 10 has reached settlements with 22 residential home renovators in Idaho and Washington for violations of federal lead-based paint regulations. EPA’s compliance and enforcement program also conducted 137 inspections of home renovation contractors, the highest number of inspections the region has completed in previous years, half of which were […]
Abatement Isn’t a Piggybank for Nuisance Plaintiffs
Covington attorneys examine how plaintiff’s attorneys are bringing cases under the public nuisance doctrine to address various social problems, from environmental cleanup to the opioid crisis. They say recent court decisions rejecting sweeping abatement relief may have the effect of narrowing plaintiffs’ claims. In courts across the US, parties are disputing whether the public nuisance […]
Study finds link between racial segregation, lead exposure
Black students in North Carolina were more likely to be exposed to lead in racially segregated neighborhoods — one factors associated with dragging down their test scores in reading. Driving the news: A new study by Duke University researchers, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, included surveys of 25,000 North Carolina fourth graders. But the findings […]
Lead Poisoning Plus Systemic Racism Are Harming Black Kids’ Test Scores
It’s well known that exposure to lead can harm young children’s brain development. Now a new study suggests that racial segregation may be compounding the detrimental effects of lead on Black children. The study, of close to 26,000 schoolchildren, found that Black children with elevated blood lead levels had worse scores on standardized reading tests. And […]
State seeks $5M from ‘callous’ landlord in lead paint case
A former landlord who once owned or controlled 22 Buffalo homes where 29 children suffered lead poisoning should pay more than $5 million in penalties, restitution and forfeited rent, the state Attorney General’s Office told a judge Wednesday. The amount appears to be the largest ever sought from a landlord in a lead-paint violation case […]
RI company to pay 25K fine for LBP violations
Brady Sullivan to pay $25,000 penalty for lead violations at Rhode Island property EPA hits Manchester company for unlicensed work at Pawtucket mill renovation Manchester-based Brady Sullivan Properties has agreed to pay a $25,000 penalty to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for lead paint violations at its American Wire Residential Lofts in Pawtucket, R.I. […]
When your home is filled with hazards, what can you do?
Poor housing conditions can have an effect on people’s health both mentally and physically by posing a threat to the family or individual living there, especially for young children and babies. The health and wellbeing of residents are impacted especially in areas where there’s both industry and older housing. The older a home gets without […]