Doctors urge Buffalo city leaders to address lead problems

BUFFALO, NY — Buffalo doctors and health care professionals are urging city leaders to address lead levels in a letter released today. The letter, signed by 80 health care professionals and the New York State Chapter 1 of the American Academy of Pediatrics, calls on officials to fully implement the Proactive Rental Inspections (PRI) law to prevent childhood lead poisoning.

The PRI aims to reduce alarming rates of lead poisoning among Buffalo’s children. It was passed in 2020, but four years later, the letter says that “87% of the 36,000 homes covered by the PRI have not been inspected.”

Dr. Melinda Cameron is the retired medical director of the New York State Lead Poisoning Prevention Center and was the primary physician treating children with lead poisoning in Buffalo. Dr. Cameron says, “The goal is to make sure the home is safe for children when they move in. If inspections and remediation aren’t done, and if it takes too long to happen, the problem will continue to exist.”

Unlike common diseases, lead poisoning does not cause obvious symptoms and mainly affects children’s brain development. Doctors say the best way to solve the problem is to prevent it. They are pleading with the city to look into the PRI Act, ensure there is funding and confirm that inspections are done at a faster and more efficient pace.

The city responded by saying that the municipal budget, which took effect today, includes funding to hire seven new housing inspectors.