New York Lead Poisoning Lawyers

People want to protect their loved ones from danger. Yet, safeguarding your family from harm is difficult if you don’t know what risks are lurking in your New York home. Many parents learn about lead poisoning too late to save their children from organ damage, anemia, and in some cases, wrongful death.

Just as if you were part of our family, we care about your well-being. Our New York law firm, Hill & Moin, offers free personal injury law consultations to our neighbors seek the protection their families need. Professional lead poisoning attorneys can explain what rights you have if you or your children have been exposed to lead. And we want to share some information now that can help you deal with the significant health threat of lead poisoning.

Why You Should Be Concerned About the Health Effects of Lead

Lead is a soft, grayish metal that has been used by humans for centuries. This material is easy to shape, durable, and resistant to corrosion.

Before people realized how toxic lead’s compounds were, companies manufactured many products with lead, including toys, paint, and insecticides. So up until about 25 years ago, lead poisoning was a large public health threat in the United States, according to Dr. Mary Jean Brown, Chief of the CDC’s Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch. Tests have detected lead in gasoline, paint, and even drinking water.

In 1988, Congress introduced a law seeking to control lead contamination. Researchers have since discovered a lot about how the human body absorbs and retains lead and its compounds over time. Yet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “lead exposure is an ongoing health problem.”

A study of childhood lead poisoning concluded that there are no safe levels of lead exposure because “lead has no biological role in the body.” In other words, even very small amounts of this substance can affect your health.

Victims reported a complex array of symptoms after coming in contact with lead:

• Abdominal, joint, or muscle pain
• Anemia
• Anorexia or loss of appetite
• Colic or gastrointestinal upset
• Fatigue or muscle weakness
• Headaches
• Irritability
• Seizures
• Weight loss
• Vomiting

It is essential to recognize the signs, as the same 2017 study revealed why children particularly are at high risk of toxic exposure. Toddlers tend to explore with their hands and mouth. Thus, they may be regularly on the floor where lead paint chips, dirt, and indoor dust accumulate. For their small bodies, ingesting even small amounts of lead is toxic. And, in one estimation, millions of American homes have enough lead paint hazards to make a child very sick.

Another at-risk population is children with developmental or neurological syndromes. They tend to eat non-food items, a condition called pica that can also be found in adults. When children with pica find paint flakes or other lead-containing substances in their environments, they may be tempted to ingest them. In 2014, national US poison control centers received 2,241 calls concerning possible lead exposures, many of them concerning children.

Lead can create serious health issues in children and adults. When left untreated, lead poisoning or the medical conditions caused by it can kill you. If you or your children spent long periods in an environment with lead, exposure may have contributed to:

• Heart, kidney, and liver damage: Lead affects the muscles of the heart, which could result in high blood pressure and other cardiac problems. It also puts stress on internal organs, such as the kidneys and liver, interfering with their ability to function properly.

• Mental dysfunction: People affected report difficulty remembering, concentrating, and predicting or controlling their moods or behavior.

• Reproductive health issues: Men may experience reduced sperm counts or other sperm abnormalities, contributing to infertility. Meanwhile, pregnant women can pass lead poisoning to their unborn babies, increasing the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight, learning disabilities, brain damage, and other developmental problems.

Why You Should Know Your Legal Rights

When you hire us, our law firm can explain your rights. If your lead poisoning may be related to your work in New York, please contact a lawyer immediately at (212) 668-6000 for a free case review.

Workplace exposure

The CDC cautions workers that lead poisoning is prevalent in the manufacturing, construction, mining, automotive, mechanical, and electrical maintenance industries.

Employers must follow New York laws and industry regulations to provide a reasonably safe working environment for their employees. If your employer could have foreseen an accident, you can hold him or her liable for negligence.

Exposure from products and materials

People may be exposed to lead, possible in the form of lead paint, in their homes and workplaces. You may also eventually suffer from lead poisoning if you come across these other sources of lead exposure:

• Lead-based paint, including on scrap wood
• Imported or unregulated Ayurvedic or herbal medicines
• Household dust
• Leafy or root vegetables grown in contaminated soil
• Old plumbing or faucets
• Construction materials from recycling, renovation, demolition, etc.
• Antique furniture
• Imported toys, crayons, pewter figurines
• Fishing sinkers
• Ammunition
• Aviation gasoline

You may be able to pursue legal action against the manufacturer of the lead-containing product. Leave us a message to get professional advice based on years of experience. Our product liability lawyers at Hill & Moin and among our statewide network of attorneys can show you how to demand your rights with confidence.

Lead paint or pipe removal

As you have seen, lead is a dangerous toxin. A literature review brought out that despite its ban from gasoline, paint, and water pipes, lead is still present in our environment, “particularly in deprived areas of modern cities, in transition zones and city centers.”

Even removing lead-based paint creates its own health hazard, according to Dr. Brown, as lead paint removal methods may diffuse fine lead dust particles into the air.

New York law require property owners to ensure the safety of their premises to a reasonable degree. Remember, there are no safe levels of lead. So if lead paint is found in your house or apartment, your landlord may be held responsible if lead paint poisoning makes you or your family members sick.

What To Do If You Suspect Negligence Led To Lead Poisoning

Lead poisoning lawyers can help you stand up to your landlord, employer, or other liable parties to make sure you are able to live without the fear of poison in your home or workplace. If you want to secure a future for yourself and your children, you should act quickly. At Hill & Moin, we offer the families of New York the opportunity to talk with a capable attorney with no obligation. To schedule a free lead poisoning case review, call (212) 668-6000.

If you suspect that lead poisoning is responsible for your sickness or that of a loved one, contact the New York lead poisoning lawyers as soon as possible. If you entrust your case to us, we are ready to seek damages on your behalf from anyone who has caused your family harm. Don’t wonder about your rights! Contact us for Personal Injury Recovery SolutionsⓇ today.