So far, the city has only issued 21 violations for landlords not having that test done. The law gives most landlords until 2025, but if a child younger than 6 lives in the home, the test is required within a year. The city has ramped up enforcement in the last few years for those two requirements, but some parents say they're still not proactive enough.įor example, a 2020 law requires landlords of older buildings to arrange a specific kind of test that can detect lead through multiple layers of paint. "We keep on passing laws, but we don't do the follow-up and the follow-through. The city did not start regularly citing landlords for breaking those two rules until 2019.Ĭolon and her lawyer, Reuven Frankel, are suing both the current and former owners of Colon's building, saying, based on the city's laws, the problems should have been found and fixed years earlier. Since 2004, landlords in older buildings are required to inspect for lead hazards each year and keep records of it in any apartment with a child younger than 6, and to remove any lead paint from surfaces like door frames and window sills before a new tenant moves in. "We've seen dramatic declines in the rates, but now, the disease is one of that affects you if you are Black, Latino, Asian, if you are from a low-income community," she said.
Sanchez is sponsoring a bill that would require landlords who get lead violations to show records proving they've inspected for lead hazards in the past and worked to fix any hazards. "There are still loopholes that allow lead hazards to persist," says 14th District Councilmember Pierina Sanchez. In the 14th District, the city has taken landlords to court over lead violations more often than any other area of the city - more than 560 times since 2006.
I've gone to do court," she said.Ĭolon isn't the only one suffering in her neighborhood. The building owner says they worked quickly to fix it the second time, too, but today, Colon wonders whether the peeling paint or the dust that quickly piles up on her windowsill is actually lead-free. "It's very heartbreaking 'cause sometimes you kind of, even though you know I didn't put the lead here, you feel like it's kinda your fault 'cause you're here, you can't get out of here," Colon said. In 2019, after Carter's blood test first showed high lead levels, a city inspection found peeling paint containing lead at their apartment in the Kingsbridge Heights section of the Bronx. There was a point when he was giving me at least 50 words," Colon said. "I think it could have made him regress in some way, because before, Carter would give me words.
When 9-year-old Carter Nunez smiles, his mother Sakia Colon cherishes the moment because she's also seen his pain from the challenges of being autistic and non-verbal, and on top of that, he's suffered lead poisoning. Some advocates and parents tell CBS2 investigator Tim McNicholas the current laws have fallen short. Now, with thousands of New York City kids still showing unsafe lead levels per year, City Council is considering a new package of laws. NEW YORK - Nearly 20 years ago, New York City passed sweeping legislation and laid out a goal of eradicating childhood lead poisoning here by 2010. New York City Council considering new lead paint laws 05:56