95 Search Results for lead poisoning

Mar 10

2016

State behind curve on lead poisoning

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New York State is failing to keep up with at least two federal initiatives aimed at combating lead poisoning in children, a particular problem in Buffalo. The state has failed to adopt federal standards that would improve lead abatement practices, resulting in a near absence of enforcement actions to discourage shoddy workmanship. New York officials have also failed to adopt a more stringent federal standard for what constitutes a concerning level of lead in blood tests that would trigger medical intervention. While New York as a whole lags in dealing with its lead problem, the effort in Buffalo is especially[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Mar 2

2016

Quick Hit: Buffalo’s lead poisoning problem

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In the past two weeks, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, and US Senator Charles Schumer have each sounded a call for action in Buffalo, where lead poisoning remains a significant problem. Whether the calls get answered on the local level is another story.

Posted 9 years ago

Feb 11

2016

Heaney talks lead poisoning on ‘Pressroom

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Investigative Post Editor Jim Heaney takes Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown to task for his unwillingness to collaborate with the Erie County Health Department to tackle the city’s lead poisoning problem. Heaney termed as “outrageous” the mayor’s acceptance of the status quo. Listen to his interview Thursday with Susan Arbetter of The Capitol Pressroom. The interview runs from 22:13 to 36:48. Brown’s unwillingness to work more closely with the county will be the topic of Heaney’s “Outrages & Insights” written and video blog and will post on InvestigativePost.org and broadcast on WGRZ this coming Sunday.

Posted 9 years ago

Jul 6

2015

Limited progress on lead poisoning

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In the second of a two-part series, Investigative Post reports on limited progress being made by local government officials to address lead poisoning in low-income neighborhoods on the city’s East and West Side. The Erie County Health Department has concentrated its inspections for lead paint to houses in at-risk neighborhoods where children live. Meanwhile, Mayor Byron Brown said he’s willing to have City Hall consider teaming with the county to deal with the problem. A similar effort by officials in Rochester and Monroe County has proved successful. Investigative Post reported Thursday that nearly 500 children in three ZIP codes comprising[...]

Posted 10 years ago

Jul 2

2015

Update: Buffalo’s lead poisoning problem

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March Moon fled Burma for a better quality of life in Buffalo. Instead, she’s got a sick kid suffering from lead poisoning. Her five-year-old son has kidney problems. He struggles to eat and sleep. His stunted growth makes him the smallest pupil in preschool. He’s been hospitalized numerous times with stays of up to eight days. “The Erie County Department of Health came to my house and they said that my son has lead poisoning,” Moon said. “I had never heard of that before. What is that?” Moon and her ailing son are not alone. Thirty-seven years after lead was[...]

Posted 10 years ago

Nov 11

2014

Buffalo is ‘ground zero’ for lead poisoning

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Young children in Erie County, mostly from Buffalo’s inner city, are testing positive for lead poisoning at more than triple the state average. As a result, hundreds of children enter Buffalo schools every year dealing with the impacts of lead poisoning, which can include lowered IQ and behavioral problems. The chief source of the problem is lead-based paint chips and dust in Buffalo’s old housing stock. “Buffalo is ground zero in the entire country for lead poisoning,” said David Hahn-Baker, a local environmental activist who has studied the lead problem for three decades. Yet City Hall treats lead poisoning as[...]

Posted 10 years ago

Nov 10

2014

Buffalo’s big lead poisoning problem

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Investigative Post, in the first of a three-part series, examines the danger posed by lead paint contamination in Buffalo. Buffalo children aged five and under test positive for lead poisoning at more than three times the state average. Erie County’s rate is the worst of the 11 counties that test 10,000 or more children a year. “Buffalo is ground zero in the entire country for lead poisoning,” said David Hahn-Baker, an environmental activist in Buffalo. Dr. Stanley Schaffer, director of the Western New York Lead Poisoning Resource Center in Rochester, said the consequences can be dire: Reduced IQ, learning disabilities and[...]

Posted 10 years ago