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Lead Poison Lawyer New York City
New York City Lead Paint Exposure Lawyer
We all assume that our homes and offices will be safe. However, for those of us who live and work in older buildings, we face the risk of being exposed to contamination by lead-based paints and materials that were widely used in home and building construction as recently as the 1970s.
Due to the expense and difficulty of removing lead-based paint and lead-containing materials, many buildings still contain these materials. When you are exposed to lead, you deserve to be compensated for any medical consequences of your exposure and harm that you suffer.
At Finz & Finz, P.C, our New York City lead paint exposure attorneys fight to maximize the financial recovery for our clients who have been harmed by exposure to lead-based paint and lead-containing substances. Some of our most recent lead paint exposure victories include:
- $6 million settlement to help the family of a small child hold their landlord accountable for lead paint exposure that resulted in the child sustaining brain damage.
- $1 million settlement for a two-year-old girl who suffered exposure to lead-based paint in a family member’s apartment.
- $500,000 settlement for a family whose child demonstrated toxic lead exposure in a blood test.
- $1 million settlement for a three-year-old who was exposed to lead paint in a Bronx apartment and sustained lead poisoning.
- $760,000 settlement on behalf of a one-year-old boy who lived with his parents in a Queens apartment that had lead paint on the radiator.
If you or a family member have been exposed to lead-based paint or lead-containing substances, contact the New York lead paint exposure lawyers at Finz & Finz, P.C., today to schedule a free lead paint exposure case evaluation. We are ready to discuss the details of your case so you can learn more about how our firm can fight to secure the compensation you need and deserve
Why Choose Finz & Finz, P.C.?
When you have been harmed by exposure to lead in your home or office, you have a number of attorneys and law firms to choose from in the New York area. At Finz & Finz, P.C., our New York City lead paint exposure lawyers have the experience and skill that you need in an attorney to maximize the value of your case.
We are wholly committed to seeking full compensation in your case. We settle for nothing less than maximum value.
For 40 years, our firm has focused exclusively on fighting on behalf of clients who have been injured through no fault of their own. We’ve litigated some of the most complex personal injury cases in New York, where we have successfully obtained record-setting six- and seven-figure settlements and verdicts for our clients.
Our firm consists of a hand-selected team of accomplished lead exposure litigators, including four former judges, who all have experience vigorously pursuing personal injury claims. Our firm also has a client-focused and seasoned support staff who provide you with the top-quality service that you deserve. We have long partnerships with industry-leading, world-renowned experts who help consult on the complex liability, financial, economic and medical issues that arise in our clients’ cases.
Need Help Suing for Lead Poisoning?
If you are looking to pursue a claim for compensation after being exposed to lead or lead-containing materials, our New York City lead paint exposure lawyers can help you maximize the value of your case by:
- Thoroughly investigating your case, uncovering and safeguarding the evidence we need to vigorously advocate on your behalf
- Documenting your injuries and damages, so that you receive the full amount of compensation you need and deserve
- Working with top experts in the scientific, financial and medical fields to help us strengthen your case
- Negotiating a full and fair settlement and tirelessly preparing for litigation.
What Is Lead?
Lead is a toxic heavy metal that tarnishes to dull gray when exposed to air. It has no characteristic taste or smell. The material is most often used in building construction, lead-acid batteries, and bullets.
Lead contained in paint, dust, and soil can pose dangerous health risks to those exposed if not managed properly. Most often children are put at risk by lead exposure if they have breathed or swallowed lead dust or paint chips containing lead.
In the late 1980s, the federal government recognized the toxicity of lead and the possible hazards it posed to the public. As a result, strict environmental regulations were put into place that helped significantly reduce lead exposure and eliminate the use of lead in such products as paint and batteries.
By 1996, the use of lead was generally reduced and phased out of most products, including paints, ceramic products, caulking, gasoline, and solder. However, lead is still found in many medical devices like radiation shields, intravenous pumps, and fetal monitors. It is also still being used in scientific equipment and military equipment.
How Does Lead Poisoning Affect the Body?
Lead poisoning often carries no distinctive symptoms at first. However, even low levels of lead can cause harmful effects like decreased intelligence and developmental impairment. At extremely high levels, it can cause coma, convulsions and death.
Exposure to lead can lead to irreversible damage to the central nervous system, kidneys, and reproductive system. Reported cases have also shown that high lead levels may cause brain damage, seizures, growth retardation, loss of hearing, learning disabilities, and behavioral problems.
Lead affects the body in many ways. As a result of lead exposure, adults can suffer from:
- Difficulties during pregnancy
- Digestive problems
- High blood pressure
- Memory and concentration problems
- Muscle and joint pain
- Nerve disorders
- Other reproductive problems in both men and women
Children and Lead Exposure
Lead poses a higher risk to children because children’s growing bodies can absorb more lead and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead. With high levels of lead in their bodies, children can suffer from:
- Behavior and learning problems, such as hyperactivity
- Damage to the brain and nervous system
- Headaches
- Hearing problems
- Slowed growth
New York Lead Paint Law
New York City banned lead paint for newly constructed residential buildings in 1960, but did not require the removal of lead paint from existing properties. The sale of lead-based paint was ultimately banned in New York State in 1978. As a result, many older buildings throughout New York City still have lead paint.
Today, landlords are required to undertake regular steps to monitor and remediate lead-based paint in their buildings, including requirements to:
- Investigate lead-based paint hazards before turning over a unit to a new tenant. If hazards are identified, the landlord must remediate the area using safe lead removal practices with trained lead removal workers.
- Confirm with new tenants whether a child under the age of six will reside in a unit, and issue a notice that documents the owner’s responsibilities for lead paint identification and remediation, along with a pamphlet describing the hazards of lead-based paint.
- Distribute an annual lead notice to all tenants in pre-1960 multi-unit buildings, or dwellings built between 1960 and 1978 where the owner knows lead-based paint exists.
- Investigate common areas, and individual units where children under the age of six reside, to identify lead-based paint hazards such as deteriorated or peeling pain.
Recently, New York City adopted even more stringent standards for testing dust for lead levels following any construction work that disturbs known or presumed lead-based paint. New York City now requires testing following any repair or renovation work that disturbs more than two square feet of paint in a building built prior to 1960, where lead-based paint is presumed to exist and where a child under the age of six resides.
The new standards are:
- Dust from floors: Limit of 10 micrograms of lead per square foot
- Dust from windowsills: Limit of 50 micrograms of lead per square foot
- Dust from window wells: Limit of 100 micrograms of lead per square foot
Statute of Limitations on Lead Exposure Lawsuits
As with any personal injury lawsuit, New York has a statute of limitations that governs the amount of time a plaintiff has to file a claim for compensation. Because the effects of lead exposure may not be fully realized immediately, New York’s statute of limitations on these cases is three years from the date the injury was discovered or reasonably should have been discovered. In cases involving children, that three-year time period does not start until the victim’s 18th birthday.
Quick Tips about New York Lead Exposure
Lead poisoning is entirely preventable. It is important to be aware that lead products and lead dust can be serious hazards to adults and children nationwide and in New York. Here are a few tips to take into consideration for the safety of your health and those you care about:
- Children are more susceptible to lead exposure because of their tendency to touch objects and put their hands in their mouth. Get young children tested for lead, even if they appear healthy, if you think they have been exposed to high levels of lead.
- Lead-based paint can be found in many homes built before 1978, before the federal government banned lead-based paint from housing.
- Lead levels can be detected by taking a simple blood test.
- Lead can also be found in soil and dust.
- To reduce the risk of lead exposure, be aware of any peeling or chipping paint and properly dispose of any paint chips immediately. Also, clean floors, window frames, windowsills and other surfaces where lead dust may collect weekly.
- If lead needs to be removed, consult with a professional who is trained to remove lead hazards safely. Improperly removing lead can increase the hazard of lead exposure by spreading even more lead dust around the area.
Talk to a New York City Lead Paint Exposure Attorney Now
If you or a loved one have suffered medical complications following exposure to lead-based paint or lead-contaminated materials, you deserve full and fair compensation to help pay for your medical treatment and to provide you and your family with a measure of justice.
Don’t wait another day to start the process of obtaining the financial recovery that you and your family deserve. Contact the New York City lead paint exposure attorneys at Finz & Finz, P.C., today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation to talk to one of our lawyers about your case and to learn more about your legal rights and options.
