BUFFALO, N.Y. — Assemblyman Sean Ryan is alarmed by the number of children across the state who have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood.
"We need to make it an emergency. We need to treat it as an emergency," Ryan (D-Buffalo) said.
Health officials say in some Buffalo neighborhoods, 40 percent of kids have been exposed to lead, a rate eight times higher than in Flint, Michigan, a city that faced a water contamination crisis that drew national attention. That's why Ryan is proposing a package of laws to help fight the problem at home.
"We've been accepting that a thousand kids in Buffalo will become neurologically damaged from lead paint as sort of the norm of our existence," said Ryan.
The LEAD Act would bring the entire state in line with what Erie County has already done, abiding by national recommendations. The new law would lower the blood lead level needed for health and educational intervention from 10 micrograms/deciliter down to 5 micrograms/dl.
Many communities across the City of Buffalo, specifically the West Side, have been particularly hard hit by lead poisoning. That's because of the number of older homes that are often poorly maintained in low-income areas. Part of Ryan's proposed legislation would require insurance companies to offer liability coverage for renters who need treatment due to lead exposure.
The state currently requires all school districts to test tap water for lead contamination. Ryan wants all licensed daycare centers to follow the same rules. Another proposed law would also ban lead in jewelry marketed to kids.
Ryan says there's a companion bill in the state senate to go with his in the assembly, so he's confident the Act will pass during this legislative session.