The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken several actions over the past year to address lead exposure in New York and New Jersey, marking Children's Health Month and Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. The agency has pursued three judicial enforcement cases and 15 administrative actions focusing on violations impacting underserved or overburdened communities. These cases involve breaches of the Toxic Substances Control Act Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule, Lead-Based Paint Activities Rules, and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Lisa F. Garcia, EPA Regional Administrator, stated, “Every family, regardless of their zip code, deserves to live without worrying about their child facing life-long health effects from exposure to lead pollution.” She emphasized the importance of working with federal and state partners to prevent children's lives from being affected by toxic lead.
The EPA's efforts include addressing failures in training workers, assigning certified renovators for projects, adhering to lead-safe work practices, providing necessary pre-renovation education on lead risks, and maintaining proper records.
In September 2024, All City Remodeling, Inc., based in Queens, NY, faced a $103,000 penalty for RRP Rule violations during renovations in Washington Heights and Inwood. Rose Demolition and Carting agreed to pay a $100,000 penalty for similar violations after demolitions at over 650 residential properties between 2016 and 2019. Legacy Builders was penalized nearly $170,000 for RRP Rule breaches during renovations at several Manhattan apartments.
In August 2024, Apex Building Company agreed to pay more than $600,000 for numerous violations identified during renovation work across hundreds of apartment units from 2015 to 2021.
EPA's enforcement actions also extend to drinking water safety. Nine administrative orders were issued last year addressing failures such as consumer notification lapses about lead results and non-compliance with service line replacement schedules. These measures aim to protect over 300,000 consumers at an estimated compliance cost of $8.5 million.
In Belleville, NJ, the EPA issued an Administrative Order on Consent requiring the town to replace 770 lead service lines among other remedial actions under the Safe Drinking Water Act Lead and Copper Rule.
Four large water systems in Broome County were found lacking proper tap sample collection procedures. The EPA mandated these municipalities develop new sampling plans ensuring regulatory compliance for safe drinking water provision.
Additionally, Region 2 settled five cases with accredited trainers as part of its initiative to ensure training integrity for regulated renovation work. The Community Lead Awareness Initiative further educates communities on reducing harm from lead exposure.
Despite progress in reducing blood lead levels nationwide over recent decades, children remain vulnerable to severe health issues due to lead poisoning which affects their development significantly.
For more details on protecting children from lead exposure or certification information for contractors can be found on various EPA websites provided within this context.
