Cleveland home inspectors will begin to survey nearly 170,000 properties for possible lead contamination this weekend, city officials announced Friday.
Inspectors will start in the Slavic Village neighborhood where they will visually inspect properties from the street and assess for potential lead contamination, city officials said during a press conference.
The surveyors will look for chipped paint and calculate a lead risk score to prioritize homes most likely at risk for lead contamination for future investigation, officials said.
Cleveland is at the epicenter of a lead-poisoning health crisis. Lead poisoning rates in the city are nearly four times the national average, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
As part of the city’s lead safety ordinance, landlords are required to have the inside of their buildings inspected for lead every two years. But officials said sometimes lead paint can be found on the exterior of buildings too, especially on porch flooring, in the door entrance to the house, along railings as well as on siding and at the building’s foundation where lead can gather.
Officials said they hope the survey will help them find those additional points of exposure.
City Councilmember Kristopher Harsh, who represents Ward 13, which includes Old Brooklyn and part of the Stockyard neighborhoods, said he’s optimistic leaders will use this data to fight lead poisoning.
“It's good to know for those activists out there who fought the paint companies, who fought city hall to be able to stand here today with a mayor who hears us with a new city council that hears this issue and to be able to put actual money into solving this problem," he said.
The city-wide survey should allow city to better manage properties, said Cleveland’s Director of Building and Housing Sally Martin, who acknowledged there is a shortage of building inspectors.
“Good data allows us to be more strategic with our scarce resources," she said. "We feel this is going to help us target resources more efficiently and create better neighborhood outcomes."
The city will fine property holders who have lead contamination and offer them money for remediation, said Martin. Funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and local funding will help address the problem.
“There's an unprecedented amount of resources out there to assist with repairs,” Martin said. “One of the reasons for wanting to do the lead scoring is to help target those resources to people who need them the most. We don't want any more children to be poisoned, and the city is taking a very aggressive stance on that.”
Many paints used in homes before the 1970s contained lead and children can ingest lead from deteriorated paint in dust and soil. Building inspections are supposed to catch lead contamination, but city leaders said too often it’s only found after a child is poisoned.
About two-thirds of housing units across the state were built before 1980 and contain lead-based hazards, according the Clinic.
This survey will also provide an accurate count of vacant parcels, those requiring demolition, those with obvious lead hazards and those that might require home repair or renovation assistance, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb said.
“For far too long, many neighborhoods haven't had access to capital, the access to resources that they need to truly make sure that all of our neighborhoods are safe, secure and resilient," he said. "We truly believe that this housing property survey will give us the right foundation for good policy and good resource investment long term."
