The problem of lead paint leading to health problems, especially slowed development and brain damage in children, continues to be a concern in Portsmouth, Virginia (VA). I am an injury lawyer from Portsmouth, so this medical risk to kids in my home town bothers me a lot. According to published reports in the Virginian Pilot, the federal government is still trying to help fund dealing with lead contamination in housing in Portsmouth, Virginia (VA). Lead poisoning injuries especially affect children younger than 6, with devastating results including permanent brain injury.
The health risk of lead poisoning is mostly in the low income housing in Portsmouth, Virginia (VA) older neighborhoods. Portsmouth is not alone in that many older cities with aging public housing face similar problems. For example, locally there are known lead contaminated dwellings in Newport News, Virginia (VA), and Surry County, Virginia (VA). Homes built before 1950 tend to be the biggest hazards. Through increased education about the problem, the national number for elevated lead levels in children was down to 310,000 in 2002 compared to over 13 million kids in 1978 based on number from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Although, I am hopeful as an injury lawyer about the decreasing numbers of reported cases, lead paint is still an ongoing problem in Hampton Roads, Virginia (VA) and in the lives of young people who have brain damage and slowed growth because of their exposure to this toxic substance in their homes. If you think your loved one may have been exposed to lead, please call us about making an insurance claim. Lawsuits have brought more public awareness of this threat to children’s health.