When a doctor found that Kenicer Carty's 1-year-old daughter had a dangerously high level of lead last year, it triggered an alarm of sorts. Officials sent an inspector to Carty's 1930 row house in northeast Baltimore. It turned out that every single window had hazardous chipping lead paint.
The city contracted with the nonprofit Green and Healthy Homes Initiative to replace the windows and inspect her house. They will also fix a leak in a bedroom wall and near the toilet where water pools, because moisture prompts paint to break down.
While it's all welcome help, it has been six months since Carty's daughter tested positive for lead. She hopes the girl won't suffer the irreversible behavior or learning problems that lead can cause, but she hasn't told anyone about the poisoning.
"Because I don't want people to judge," she says. "You know, we live in a society where you're labeled for just the simplest thing."
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
6 comments:
Years ago it was common practice to use this type of paint. After years of being in the news , you would think people would be aware .
Why in the hell would anyone let their child chew on window frames?
You get food stamps , you get everything free , at least take care of your children instead of smoking dope.
They get more money after the unattended kid chews on the walls and woodwork. Collecting welfare has become a vocation in most cities.
Little kids put almost anything in their mouths. Colorful chips of paint are tantalizing.
All homes rented in md pre 1978 must have lead inspections and notify tennants there is lead i thought
I used to live in one of those Baltimore row houses when I was a kid, the whole fronts were painted on all the neighborhood homes, the sidewalk was covered in the chips, we used to pretend the blue paint chips were water and our Barbie dolls were swimming in, I believe the city helped pay for removal on the brickwork covered but the window frames were left alone
It is only black kids eating the paint, do any of us really care?
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