This case is significant due to the Respondents' failure to provide to numerous lessees, before they signed their lease agreements and became obligated to rent or lease target housing owned by the Respondents, required Lead Warning Statements, required lead-based paint information, and copies of records and reports available to the Respondents that pertained to lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards in the target housing units herein at issue. The details of each violation are described in the Complaint.
The case is also significant because lessees for five of the leases at issue in this Complaint had children under the age of six when they entered into the lease. Children under age six are especially vulnerable to the dangerous effects of lead poisoning, since lead poisoning can impair the neurological development that occurs at this age. Lead poisoning also can cause reduced intelligence quotients, reading and learning disabilities, impaired hearing, reduced attention span, hyperactivity and other behavioral problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, blood lead levels ( BLLs ) as low as 10 ug/dL are associated with harmful effects on children's learning and behavior. Very high BLLs (> 70 ug/dL) cause devastating health consequences, including seizures, coma, and death. (CDC, 1991. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing Lead Poisoning in Young Children: A Statement by the Centers For Disease Control. Atlanta