A Baltimore City brother and sister have recently been awarded €2m in a toxic lead poisoning case for their exposure in a West Baltimore house that was sold to the family as safe from lead paint by a nonprofit organisation called City Homes.
The charity pointed out that the home cleared city lead inspections before and after the siblings had lived there and also that the charity had been responsive to all of the claimant’s concerns.
However, experts testified that the house was not completely “lead safe” and that both siblings have below average IQs as a result of lead paint poisoning. The jury heard evidence that there had been efforts to minimise the possibility of lead paint exposure, that there was paint chipping and flaking on surfaces, that rats had chewed at the walls and had brought lead dust through the house.
Lead paint was outlawed in 1978 in the United States by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Lead paint poisoning can cause severe and permanent brain damage and developmental issues in children, nervous system injury seizures or convulsions, growth or mental retardation, and comas. In extreme cases, it can lead to death.