Lead poisoning occurs when there is an increased intake of lead into the body, which is most commonly caused by toxic lead paint that is still present in many homes throughout Baltimore City and other metropolitan areas.

Although lead paint was banned thirty years ago in 1978, poorly maintained rental homes or older buildings may still have flaking paint that young children could suck on or ingest, causing elevated lead blood levels. Young children are particularly susceptible to lead poisoning injuries, as their developing brains could be harmed by the toxic chemicals.

Lead poisoning at high levels is most commonly associated with cognitive injuries, developmental problems, brain damage, seizures, mental retardation, coma or death. However, new research suggests that even the presence of low levels of lead in the blood during early years of growth and development can cause problems.

According to a study presented at the American Physiological Society annual meeting in New Orleans last week, “even low levels of lead could have a profound impact on the health of a child.” It could adversely affect a child’s cardiovascular response to stress and may even be linked to incidences of high blood pressure later in life.

LEAD POISONING ATTORNEYS

For children who have suffered severe injuries as a result of lead poisoning, our attorneys may be able to obtain financial compensation. To review a potential claim, request a free consultation.

>>INFORMATION: Lead Paint Lawsuits

According to the Maryland Daily Record, Kelly Green, who is now a teenage, suffered lead poisoning as a result of eating paint chips that were flaking off of the wall at a house the family rented in Northeast Baltimore when she was a toddler. The family alleged that Kelly’s mental and physical conditions, as well as her IQ were affected by the lead poisoning.

Following a 2007 trial, a Baltimore City Jury awarded $2.3 million. Although the jury of six people determined that this was the amount that provided fair compensation, the judge reduced the verdict to $515,000 under the Maryland damages cap.

On appeal, the family is challenging the application of the Maryland limitation on damages in their lead paint lawsuit. They are arguing that the cap only applies to Maryland personal injury lawsuits arising from a defendant’s negligence of tortious activities, not to claims like theirs which was brought under the Consumer Protection Act.

The Daily Record article indicates that the Court of Appeals judges appeared to be critical of the Green family’s position.

Most Maryland injury lawyers disagree with the rationale and purpose behind the damages cap, as they have seen the impact it has when plaintiffs are denied the compensation they should be entitled to receive. However, given prior decisions by the Court of Appeals, it would be a surprising result if they find that claims brought under the Consumer Protection Act are not subject to the statutory cap.

MARYLAND LEAD PAINT ATTORNEYS

The Maryland lead paint attorneys at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. investigate potential cases for children who have been diagnosed with elevated lead blood levels. Many poorly maintained rental properties, particularly in Baltimore City, contain lead paint which is flaking off of the walls due to the landlords failure to properly take care of their property. Eating, sucking or inhaling lead paint chips can cause serious injuries, including:

• Nervous System Injury
• Brain Damage
• Seizures or Convulsions
• Growth or Mental Retardation
• Coma or Death

To review a potential Maryland lead paint lawsuit on behalf of yourself, a friend or family member, request a free consultation and claim evaluation.

A study was recently published in the journal Public Library of Science Medicine which followed the results of children exposed to lead over the past 25 years. Researchers at University of Cincinnati in Ohio collected data from pregnant mothers and children living in homes containing lead paint between 1979 and 1984. Two decades later, researchers located 250 of the children, who were between 19 and 24 years old, and found that 55% of those exposed to lead in the womb and throughout early childhood had been arrested in adulthood.

In a separate study in the same journal, researchers found that those with high lead levels as a result of exposure could suffer permanent brain damage. MRI scans found that over 1% of brain matter could be missing, and most often it is the frontal grey matter, responsible for mood and decision regulation.

Lead paint is the biggest source of lead poisoning or elevated lead blood levels for children. Although the paint was banned in 1978, due to its prior widespread use, it is often still present in homes, and could be flaking off of the walls in poorly maintained homes.

LEAD POISONING LAWSUITS

The lead poisoning lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. represent individuals diagnosed with elevated lead levels as a result of exposure to flaking paint chips in rental homes where they lived as children. If you, a friend or family member have been diagnosed with lead poisoning, request a free consultation.

There is no officially established threshold for what blood lead level constitutes lead poisoning.  However, the CDC indicated in 1991 that a lead level of 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood should cause the doctor to take protective steps.  This level, which is the same number used in Canada and Britain, has become the guideline for doctors when determining whether a child should be referred for further evaluation.

Lead poisoning can have a devastating impact on young children and their families.  In addition to lowering IQ scores, higher lead levels could be associated with:

• Nervous system injury
• Brain injury
• Seizures or Convulsions
• Mental retardation
• Coma
• Death

The report regarding low levels of lead poisoning will be published in the November 2007 issue of the journal “Pediatrics”.  In the article, the CDC asks doctors to be more aware of lead poisoning symptoms and to talk to parents of children diagnosed with low levels about nutrition changes and steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of further lead exposure.

According to CDC estimates, about 2% of children between 1 and 5 years old have lead poisoning.  While there has been a lot of publicity recently about lead contained in several toys which have been recalled, most cases of lead poisoning diagnosed each year are linked to lead based paint which is present in many homes throughout the United States built before 1978.

Even though lead paint was banned nearly thirty years ago, many poorly maintained rental properties still contain the paint, which could be flaking off of the walls.  If a young child or baby eats or sucks on lead paint chips, a permanent injury to the brain could result even at lead blood levels.

LEAD POISONING LAWYERS

The lead poisoning lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. investigate potential claims in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Pennslvania and throughout the United States.  If your child or family member has been diagnosed with an elevated blood lead level , request a free lead poisoning claim evaluation.

The family lived in a Baltimore City house while the victims were under four years old, and the mother testified that she repeatedly complainted about flaking lead paint in the home which was owned and maintained by the Housing Authority of Baltimore City.  Both plaintiffs were found to have elevated blood lead levels when they were children, which has resulted in continuing symptoms of lead poisoning.

Lead poisoning is a serious condition with permanent consequences that could result in:

• Brain Injury
• Damage to the Nervous System
• Seizures or Convulsions
• Decreased Growth Rate
• Mental Retardation
• Coma
• Death

>>INFORMATION: Lead Poisoning Lawsuits

Lead poisoning has been getting a lot of attention lately following the recall of several toys manufactured in China which contain dangerous levels of lead.  Earlier this month, nearly 1 million different popular toys, like Elmo and Big Bird, were recalled by Mattel’s Fisher-Price division.  Other recent recalls have involved Thomas the Tank Engine, Spiderman trinkets and kids jewelry.

While toys with high levels of lead can cause injury under some circumstances, most cases of lead poisoning reported each year are attributed to lead paint in homes.  Household paint containing lead was banned nationwide in 1978, but many older houses are still standing with the paint on the walls.  When the homes are not properly maintained, flaking or pealing paint could be injested by young children who are susceptible to lead poisoning.

In Maryland, lead poisoning has been a particular problem, especially in Baltimore City.  There have been estimates that over one million homes throughout Maryland contain lead paint, and many have been poorly maintained, leading to chipping and flaking lead paint chips which pose a danger to children in the house.  According to state statistics, 936 new cases of lead poisoning were diagnosed in Maryland last year, and over 60% of them were reported in Baltimore.

MARYLAND LEAD POISONING LAWYERS

The personal injury lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. review potential lead poisoning lawsuits in Maryland and throughout the United States for children who have been diagnosed with elevated lead blood levels.  If you suspect that lead poisoning was suffered as a result of a child ingesting flaking lead paint or from a recently recalled product, request a free lead poisoning lawsuit evaluation.

>>INFORMATION: Lead Poisoning

The high levels of lead contained in the children’s jewelry could be toxic if it is injected by young children.  As a side effect of lead poisoning, children could suffer problems ranging from mental retardation to aggressive behavior and poor school performance.

The children’s jewelry recall involves certain “Essentials for Kids” products, which is manufactured in China and sold by Future Industries, an importer from Cliffwood Beach, NJ.  The packages could contain a necklace, earings and bracelet set or a necklace and seven days of the week pendants.  The earings are made of green, blue or pink beads; the necklaces have painted metal pendants in the shape of shoes, girls, blackboards or school buses; the day of the week pendants are shaped as sandals, purses or butterflies.

LEAD POISONING LAWSUITS

The lead poisoning lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. investigate potential cases for children diagnosed with lead poisoning nationwide.  If your child or family member has been injured by the recalled kid’s jewelry, request a free consultation.

>>INFORMATION: Maryland Lead Poisoning Press Release

The Maryland Department of the Environment released the annual statewide Childhood Lead Registry surveillance statistics earlier this week.  In 2006, the department tested 102,974 children under the age of 6, an increase from the 99,148 children in Maryland who were tested in 2005.  The percentage of Maryland children who were found to have elevated blood lead levels in 2006 fell to 1.2% (1,274) from 1.3% (1,331) the prior year. 

Once again, the highest risk of lead poisoning is in Baltimore City, where 4.6% of the children tested had an elevated blood lead level.  However, the overall number of children in Baltimore with lead poisoning was down (843 in 2006, compared to 853 in 2005).

LEAD PAINT POISONING CONTINUES TO POSE A DANGER

Lead based paint which is pealing off of the wall in many deteriorating rental homes continues to be a leading cause of increased levels of the hazard in blood streams of children in Maryland.  If a child eats or sucks on lead paint chips which have fallen offer of the wall, they could suffer serious injuries, including:

• Brain Injury
• Damage to the Nervous System
• Seizures or Convulsions
• Decreased Growth Rate
• Mental Retardation
• Coma
• Death

Lead paint was banned nationwide in 1978, but there are still many rental homes which are not properly maintained and have the toxic paint pealing off of walls.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 95% of homes built before 1950 are likely to contain lead paint and 75% of homes built between 1950 and 1979 are likely to contain the toxic paint.

Shari T. Wilson, Secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment, pointed out that “continued progress depends on property owners returning registration renewals in time and performing required risk reduction treatments before new tenants move in.  Owners of rental properties built before 1950 who have not yet registered or performed required risk reduction treatments to their properties must come into compliance.”

MARYLAND LEAD POISONING LAWYERS

The lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. investigate Maryland lead poisoning lawsuits for children who have been diagnosed with elevated blood lead levels.  If your child or a family member has suffered lead poisoning from pealing paint at a rental property, compensation may be available.  Request a free consultation.