The Westchester County Department of Health has notified thousands of property owners by letter and email that they need to register with New York state’s new Lead Rental Registry. The registry is initially aimed at property owners in 25 communities throughout the state whose buildings have two or more units and were erected before 1980.
The affected buildings in Westchester are in the 10550 zip code in Mount Vernon, zip code 10801 in New Rochelle and zip codes 10701 and 10705 in Yonkers. Other communities involved are Albany, Amsterdam, Auburn, Binghamton, Buffalo, Cheektowaga, Elmira, Gloversville, Jamestown, Kingston, Middletown, Newburgh, Niagara Falls, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Rome, Schenectady, Spring Valley, Syracuse, Troy, Utica, and Watertown.
Westchester County Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler said, “There is no safe level of lead, and the health effects can be devastating. We are hopeful that these new regulations will help the next generation of children avoid lead exposure.”
Although the state still is finalizing the lead registry regulations, registration is the first step toward mandatory visual inspections, which will be conducted every three years to certify that rental units are free from lead hazards. If deteriorated paint is identified, it must be remediated and after the lead paint has been removed there would be an inspection that would determine whether the property can be certified as having the lead removed. If no deteriorated paint is found, additional testing known as dust wipe sampling will be performed to confirm that no lead dust hazards are present. All inspections and testing must be conducted by EPA-certified lead inspectors.
Westchester County notes that lead is a toxic metal that can cause irreversible damage, including learning and behavioral problems and permanent loss of cognitive ability. Lead exposure is entirely preventable, yet it continues to place children at risk, the county says.
