Let’s Stop Lead Poisoning in New York State
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 28, 2025
CONTACT: Jasmine Phillip, Clean+Healthy, jasmine@cleanhealthyny.org
Lead Free Kids NY Advocates Come Together at Capitol to Urge Legislators to Pass Key Lead Protection Bills
(ALBANY, N.Y.) — Today, the Lead Free Kids New York coalition joined with legislators and community advocates during a press conference today at the Capitol to urge swift legislation on bills that would significantly strengthen lead protection across the state that would require: disclosing if lead paint is present in a home, allowing damages by lead based paint poisoning to be covered by insurance, establishing protocol for lead renovation, and replacing lead service lines in New York State.
Lead is a known toxic heavy metal that causes significant damage to our bodies. The heavy metal is detrimental to children’s development by causing irreversible neurological and physical damage, anemia, hypertension, immunotoxicity, and damage to reproductive organs. These ailments negatively affect their whole lives. Lead paint has been banned since 1978 and lead pipes have been banned since 1986. Lead is still in thousands of homes and still poses a serious threat to the health of thousands of New Yorkers a year (5,078 children in NYC in 2022); especially those in marginalized groups.
“New York needs to be a leader in bold action against lead poisoning. If we, as a state, could get alignment on our lead poisoning prevention efforts, we could eradicate this very avoidable issue within a generation. We do not want to see another child get lead poisoned in 2025.” said Gabrielle Gonzales, co-leader of the Lead Free Kids NY coalition
Key Lead bills:
Lead Paint Right to Know Act (S.4265 Kavanagh/ A.1529 Rivera): Discloses lead paint test results to tenants and new home buyers
Insurance for Lead Hazards (S.133 Ryan/ A.1067 Rivera): Prohibits insurance companies from excluding coverage for losses or damages cause by lead based paint exposures
Renovation, Repair, and Painting Act (S.6228 Bailey/ A.2749 Bronson): Establishes protocol for lead safe renovation, repair, and painting of residential properties.
Find Lead Pipes Faster Act (S.3581 Rivera/ A.2181 Paulin) Provides lead service line identification for water systems.
Lead Pipes Replacement Act (S.6982 Rivera/ A.7878): Require the replacement if all lead service line by November 1, 2037
Thousands of New Yorkers are poisoned from elements (like lead paint dust and lead pipes) in their home every year. Speakers at the press conference emphasize the urgency of legislative action by sharing their experience with lead poisoning.
“No family should have to move into a new home while unaware of potential dangers posed by lead paint. My bill will require property owners to conduct lead paint tests and provide those reports before selling or leasing the home. This legislation will give state health officials the knowledge of which properties do and do not have lead paint hazards, and by making this information public, the private market will encourage proactive repair and maintenance to address lead paint hazards. It’s far past time that the state took a proactive approach to protecting tenants and new homeowners from needless lead paint exposure.” said Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera.
"Every New Yorker deserves clean, lead-free water. The Lead Pipe Replacement Act and Find Lead Pipes Faster Act will accelerate the removal of 100% of New York's lead service lines, which are causing contamination every time New Yorkers turn on the tap. We look forward to seeing the State Senate and Assembly advance these critical pieces of legislation to protect public health and further environmental justice." said Rob Hayes, Senior Director of Clean Water for Environmental Advocates NY
Senator Brian Kavanah, Senator Sean Ryan, Assemblymember Jonathan Rivera, Assemblymember Harry Bronson, who are sponsors and cosponsors of key lead legislation, joined advocates to voice their support of protecting New Yorkers from lead poisoning; all urging their colleagues to pass the bills before session ends in June.
As part of an ongoing effort to educate about lead poisoning, Shannon Burkett, a mother in New York City whose child was poisoned at his infancy, produced a podcast called LEAD featuring Merrit Wever, Alessandro Nivola, Cooper Burkett, Alysia Reiner, and Cynthia Nixon. Burkett takes listeners through the horror her family experienced when the construction site below their apartment contaminated their home with lead dust and her son was lead poisoned in their NYC home.
"Lead poisoning steals a child’s potential, their possibilities, who they were meant to be. Lead poisoning is 100% preventable and should not be happening in 2025." said lead poisoning prevention advocate Shannon Burkett, creator and producer of the Lead podcast.
As a result, throughout her son’s life, he has dealt with: failure-to-thrive, asthma, anemia, short term memory loss, and the worst case of PICA their pediatrician has seen in her 20 years of practice.
"I had anemia, GERD, developmental delays, aggression, and the worst case of PICA my pediatrician had seen in her twenty years in practice. I still struggle with short term memory loss, processing issues, and emotional regulation. Lead poisoning is 100% preventable and should not be happening in 2025." said lead poisoning prevention advocate and survivor Cooper Burkett.
For more information on LEAD the podcast, visit their website endleadpoisoning.org/lead/
Lead Free Kids New York encourages New Yorkers to contact their residents to contact their legislators and demand immediate action on these key bills that will save thousands of children's lives a year from preventable harm.
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Lead Free Kids New York is a coalition of parents, teachers, health care workers, advocates, lawyers, and organizations serving children. LFKNY works statewide to advocate for state level policy solutions to lead poisoning in housing and other settings in New York State Communities.
Below: Advocate Quote Sheet
Advocate Quote Sheet:
"Albany can no longer ignore the childhood lead poisoning crisis in New York, with our state leading the nation in cases of children with elevated blood levels. Studies show that black children living below the poverty line are twice as likely to suffer from lead poisoning as impoverished white children. Passing the Lead Paint Right to Know Act will ensure that testing homes for lead happens before a child is put in danger. Parents will not have to wait until their child is sick to find out that their home is contaminated, which is too late to protect them from the life-long harms of lead poisoning, which can range from kidney and hearing damage to permanent neurological disorders.” Since the 1978 ban, many dwellings have not been tested and treated for lead based paint." said Briana Carbajal, State Legislative Manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice and co-leader of Lead Free Kids NY.
"Over the past half century, the precipitous decline in pediatric blood lead levels has been a major public health accomplishment. However, this is not the time to declare victory as we continue to learn more about cognitive effects associated with low-level lead exposure,” said Mark Maddaloni DrPH, DABT.
"Infant and childhood lead poisoning remains a common yet preventable health issue that many children and families face in New York because they are unaware that lead is often lurking nearby in their homes or neighborhoods. Pediatricians continue to hear many stories from families like the Burketts who only find out when it is too late. The LEAD narrative podcast is well worth a listen to better explore this issue and importantly takes the additional step of informing New Yorkers how they can take action to prevent this from continuing,” said Charles Moon, MD, FAAP Environmental Health & Climate Change Policy Coordinator for the New York State American Academy of Pediatrics.
"Are you like me? Did you grow up believing lead poisoning was a thing of the past? As an artist & activist I am honored to be part of this illuminating and heartbreaking storytelling. Together we can educate & make much needed change. ART HEALS. ,” said Alysia Reiner, Actress & Activist.
Clean+Healthy is an environmental health and justice advocacy organization based in Albany, NY with a mission to build a just+healthy world where toxic chemicals are simply unthinkable. Learn more at cleanandhealthy.org
