New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released “Taking the Lead on Lead” — a report highlighting the city’s efforts in the fight against lead exposure.
The report provides updates from every city agency with lead-related compliance requirements to proactively monitor and mitigate lead exposure. It serves as a measure of progress since “LeadFreeNYC” — the city’s roadmap to eliminating childhood lead exposure — was released in 2019. Of the 46 commitments made in LeadFreeNYC, 42 are completed or ongoing, and the remaining four are currently in progress. Mayor Adams also today appointed Jasmine Blake as the city’s new citywide lead compliance officer to monitor different city agencies’ ongoing lead compliance and reporting and continue interagency coordination and communication.
“Keeping New Yorkers and their families safe is the most important work we do as a city, and that work includes protecting our children from the dangers of lead exposure and lead poisoning,” said Mayor Adams. “Thanks to these efforts and the intensive work of our city agencies, lead exposure in children has been reduced by 93 percent since 2005, but there is still more work to be done. We have made great strides in public health and safety, and we will continue to work hard toward our goal of a lead-free New York City.”
“New York City has long been and must remain a leader in protecting children from lead-based paint hazards,” said Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz. “Taking the Lead on Lead shows that there is nowhere more aggressive than New York City in eliminating lead exposure. Using housing policy to improve public health is a key tent pole of the Adams administration’s housing and homelessness blueprint. Through a whole-of-government approach, we will strengthen our fight against lead and keep New Yorkers, especially children, lead-free.”
“Being aggressive in our efforts to detect and combat lead is a central focus of our 2019 agreement with HUD, and a critical aspect of ensuring that public housing is safe for the New Yorkers who live there,” said New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Interim CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “NYCHA has diligently worked to demonstrate leadership by creating best practices as we continue to test tens of thousands of apartments and utilize available resources to ensure that hazards are being abated. The PACT program also requires that NYCHA’s partners test and abate lead via removal in all units, which ensures residents live in a lead-free unit when the developments are modernized. The health of the Authority’s families remains our top priority.”
“The New York City Department of Environmental Protection takes great pride in delivering high-quality, lead-free drinking water to nearly 10 million New Yorkers every day,” said Chief Climate Officer and New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “I thank Mayor Adams for his dedication to achieving a LeadFreeNYC, as we continue the important work of assisting homeowners in removing any remaining lead water service lines so they can continue to enjoy the best tap water in the world for generations to come.”
“Research has shown that for every dollar spent on lead prevention, up to hundreds of dollars are saved in future costs,” said New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “The work we do to screen for lead in children — as well as to investigate, mitigate, and enforce against hazardous conditions — benefits children, families, and communities throughout their lifetimes. This is public health at its best, and the administration’s continued leadership in this field will keep our city at the forefront of lead prevention and protect future generations of New Yorkers.”
“Making homes healthy and lead-safe is always on our minds at HPD, because our children deserve to grow up without the threat of lead exposure,” said New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. “In our fight for a LeadFreeNYC, we’re calling on all property owners and residents to join us in taking quick and aggressive action against lead hazards, like peeling paint in the home, so we can keep every child safe from lead poisoning.”
“New York City has always been at the forefront of fighting childhood lead exposure, and this latest report demonstrates our commitment to furthering this work,” said Citywide Lead Compliance Officer Jasmine Blake. “Under this new position, we will be able to improve interagency communication, strengthen our lead-related programs, and monitor compliance with city, state, and federal laws to better protect all New Yorkers.”
More at NYC.gov
