City's Lead-Paint Remediation Efforts Called Insufficient at Council Hearing

An initiative launched by Mayor de Blasio earlier this year to eliminate childhood lead exposure over the next decade came under fire for not being intensive enough to accomplish that goal during a Nov. 13 City Council hearing.

Long-term lead-paint exposure is especially dangerous for children younger than 6, who can develop serious health problems, including developmental delays. The de Blasio administration has been deluged with criticism over a series of lead-paint related controversies, including the 2018 revelation that 1,160 children living in Housing Authority developments had tested positive for elevated blood-lead levels between January 2012 and June 2018. Lead paint has been banned in the city since 1960 and at the Federal level since 1978.