Boston Lead Poisoning
Levy Konigsberg, a law firm with decades of experience handling childhood lead poisoning cases, is helping families in the Boston and throughout Massachusetts. Lead poisoning is a widespread problem in Boston and other parts of Massachusetts. In 2014 alone, almost 4,000 children in Massachusetts were found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood. Childhood lead poisoning is an easily preventable tragedy that tends to disproportionately affect those living in lower income areas. This is because the most common source of lead poisoning is old chipping, peeling, and defective lead based paint. Lead based paint was banned nationally for residential use in 1978, but it continues to exist under layers and layers of newer paint in older housing. When new paint chips or flakes off a wall, it pulls the lead based paint with it, which can accumulate on the floor and spread through the air as fine lead-based paint dust.
The effects of childhood lead poisoning are serious and permanent. At higher levels, lead poisoning is linked to lower IQ, aggression, anemia, cognitive deficits, problems with executive functioning, and problems with language. At low levels, childhood lead poisoning can lead to learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Without a cure, preventing exposure in the first place is the only way to stop the permanent damage from lead poisoning.
Every child in Massachusetts must have blood testing for lead poisoning between the ages of 9 and 12 months and again at ages 2 and 3. Massachusetts lead law provides a combination of incentives and penalties for landlords to protect young children from lead-based paint hazards. Under the law, lead paint must be removed at the expense of the owners, and owners can be held liable if a child is exposed to lead based paint while living in their premises. Despite this, children in the Boston area remain particularly vulnerable to the risks of lead based paint. As one of the earliest cities in the United States, Boston has the second oldest housing stock in the country. Many homes were built before 1978, and few of those were remediated through an EPA approved process. That means lead based paint continues to exist in those homes and remain a lead hazard for young children today.
If your child was exposed to lead-based paint, in Boston or other parts of Massachusetts, he or she may be entitled to compensation from the landlord. The lead poisoning attorneys at Levy Konigsberg LLP have decades of experience fighting for lead poisoned children and have won over $100 million in verdicts and settlements. An experienced lead poisoning attorney can help your child get the financial support he or she needs to overcome the devastating permanent effects of childhood lead poisoning. Call or contact one of our lead poisoning attorneys today.
