Lead Poisoning
Baltimore health department wasted $170,000 from lead paint fines on unused giveaways and travel, report finds
In the course of two years, the Baltimore Health Department wasted $170,000 that it raised by fining landlords for lead paint violations and charging attorneys for records to use in lead lawsuits, an investigation by the city’s inspector general found.
The money — which amounted to half the funds spent in 2017 and 2018 — was squandered on promotional goodies that went unused, excessive travel for department managers, and parties and gifts for staff, according to a summary of the inspector general’s investigation released...
Related "Lead Poisoning" Articles
Baltimore health department wasted $170,000 from lead paint fines on unused giveaways and travel, report finds
In the course of two years, the Baltimore Health Department wasted $170,000 that it raised by fining landlords for lead paint violations and charging attorneys for records to use in lead lawsuits, an investigation by the city’s inspector general found.
...
Lead poisoning cases fell 19 percent in Baltimore last year, even as more children tested for exposure
The number of Baltimore children with lead poisoning fell 19 percent in 2017, even as more children were tested for exposure to the powerful neurotoxin.
Statewide, the number of Maryland children found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood...
Child lead poisoning cases in Maryland drop to lowest levels on record
Childhood lead poisoning in Maryland decreased last year to the lowest level since 1994, when the state began tracking cases, but health advocates said that more work needs to be done to prevent the serious and sometimes debilitating condition.
Fewer...
Maryland to dedicate $7.2 million to lead, asthma reduction efforts
Maryland has received $6.3 million in federal funding to launch an initiative they hope will reduce lead poisoning and asthma rates, particularly when related to poor housing conditions.
Part of the money will be used to fund a program called Healthy...
Ben Carson understands the link between health and housing
Today, during the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) National Healthy Homes Month, Secretary Ben Carson will travel to Baltimore to advocate for safe, lead-free and healthy homes in a city that has faced significant challenges with...
Family wins lead paint judgment for poisoned son; but will they ever get the money?
Chauncey Liles Jr. was poisoned by lead paint by the time he was 2 years old. Now 18, he says he's struggled ever since.
He has trouble concentrating. Academic concepts came quickly to other students, he says, but he always had a hard time keeping up....
British insurance company accused of preventing payments to Baltimore lead poisoning victims
State officials are investigating an allegation that a British insurance company is conspiring to prevent lead-poisoning victims in Baltimore from recovering damages.The Maryland Insurance Administration said it has launched an "active investigation" into...
Pollution police off the beat
One way to tell if authorities are serious about a particular law is to see if they enforce it. If you speed and are caught by a police officer or a camera, you can expect a ticket. If you don't file your taxes, the comptroller of Maryland or the IRS will...
Baltimore is a leader in lead paint abatement
In reporting that "Advocates say lead paint industry should be held liable in poisoning of Baltimore children" (Feb. 27) The Sun has reached a new low.Using data and statements 60 to 120 years old, The Sun makes a case for lawyers to queue up and sue....
Maryland attorney general urges structured settlement reforms
Maryland's attorney general urged lawmakers on Thursday to give his office the ability to regulate deals offered by businesses that buy legal settlements at steep discounts from lead poisoning victims, such as Baltimore's Freddie Gray.
The measure, which...
Council told of shortage of resources to prevent lead poisoning
Thousands of rental homes in Baltimore are believed to contain dangerous lead paint, but the city has money to repair only 230 of them over the next three years, a top housing official testified Thursday.At a City Hall hearing called in response to a...
Council told of shortage of resources to prevent lead poisoning
Thousands of rental homes in Baltimore are believed to contain dangerous lead paint, but the city has money to repair only 230 of them over the next three years, a top housing official testified Thursday.
At a City Hall hearing called in response to a...
How Baltimore compares to Flint
"This is our Flint." Get ready to hear that often this legislative session to promote a variety of issues. But why use Flint's lead crisis to incite outrage about the Baltimore County Public Schools' air conditioning shortage ("Franchot criticized for...
Maryland launches investigation into 'invalid' lead-paint certificates
State officials are urging nearly 400 families to find out whether their children may have lead poisoning after launching an investigation of a private inspector who they say improperly certified rental properties as lead-free.
The Maryland Department of...
Lead found in children's jewelry at Canton Target, Five Below
Update: The health department says it mistakenly reported that the $6 Hello Kitty necklace sold at Target had high levels of lead. Read the new story here.
Baltimore health inspectors found elevated levels of lead in inexpensive children's jewelry in...
Q&A: A lead-paint primer for new (and accidental) landlords
The difficult housing market has turned a lot of homeowners into landlords by necessity. They can't sell, at least not for the price they require, but they still need to move on -- so they're renting out their former homes. For these "accidental...
IN THE REGION
Death figures show need for action, Dixon saysOn average, a Baltimore resident dies six years earlier then other state residents, Mayor Sheila Dixon said yesterday in an address to the Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dixon...
ARUNDEL DIGEST
Annapolis wins $100,000 grantThe city of Annapolis has won a $100,000 grant to address the hazards of lead in the community.DuPont, through its Cities United for Science Progress partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, announced last week that...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Paint makers need to pay part of billThe Sun's article "Lead tied to criminal behavior" (May 28) summarizes another study that connects lead poisoning to brain damage and an increased risk of criminal behavior.Parents, policymakers and the lead paint...
Toxic exposure
The findings may not be surprising, but two new studies linking childhood lead exposure to later criminal activity are still extremely disturbing. It may not be news to anyone who has sat in juvenile court in Baltimore, where lawyers for youthful...