A group of community members gathered at Rochester City Hall Monday to celebrate 10 years since the establishment of the Rochester Lead Law. Elizabeth McDade with the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning says the law changed things significantly for Rochester residents.
“We have the capacity for individuals to find out whether or not there are lead hazards in their home. And in the case of rental property the hazard will have to be fixed, have to be remediated and that is the responsibility of the landlord."
Most children are poisoned by dust from friction in homes built before 1978. Over the past 10 years - since the lead law passed - there has been an 80 percent reduction in children reported with lead poisoning. More than 140,000 units have been inspected for lead during the last decade.
"We are seeing fewer and fewer children showing up to school with cognitive disabilities with the inability to retain information and we're seeing a huge impact in the overall health of children," McDade told WXXI News.
With the establishment of the lead law, both homeowners and tenants in Rochester can ask for their homes to be tested for lead and fixed.