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Lead Poisoning and Premises Liability in New York

Just hearing the words “lead paint” causes concern. Lead paint has been associated with a variety of serious health problems, including death. If you have been exposed to lead, you need to be aware of the possible health effects and your legal rights. In the situation where the lead exposure was in an apartment, rental home or office building, you could have a New York premises liability case.

Lead is considered to be a harmful environmental pollutant and in late 1991, the U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services described this pollutant as the “number one environmental threat to the health of children in the United States.”

One of the main sources of exposure comes from old lead-based paint. Dangerous lead exposure occurs when lead paint is improperly removed from surfaces, such as walls.

Just about every system in the body can be negatively affected by lead. High levels of lead exposure in New York can lead to coma, convulsions and death. Lower levels of lead exposure have been linked to problems with the central nervous system, kidney and blood cells.

Children are often the most affected by lead poisoning. In fact, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry defines lead exposure as one of the most common preventable poisoning of childhood. A child exposed to lead can suffer developmental and behavioral problems. When a child is exposed to harmful levels of lead, he or she may have challenges with learning and reading, hearing loss and delayed growth. In severe cases of lead exposure, a child can sustain permanent brain damage.

A property owner who exposes tenants and customers to lead can be held liable, even if he or she claims to have been unaware of the problem. Such a case falls under a legal category known as New York premises liability. In a premises liability lawsuit, damages can be pursued for medical expenses and other related costs.

Contact a New York personal injury lawyer at the Law Firm of Rappaport, Glass, Greene and Levine at 800.734.9445 for legal advice regarding your lead exposure case.