New York City Council introduces bills with updated lead standards
NEW YORK -- The New York City Council is considering legislation to protect New Yorkers from lead.
At a hearing Tuesday, council members introduced new measures.
Current lead standards have been in place since 2004.
The new bills would ensure that the city uses the most up-to-date standards to protect children from being poisoned by lead.
Cooper Burkett, a young man who was diagnosed with lead poisoning when he was a baby, testified at the hearing.
"I've had to live with multiple side effects from my lead exposure as a baby. Shortly after my lead levels shot up to 19, I lost the ability to speak. I have processing issues, short-term memory loss, anemia, asthma," he said.
"We as a society, as a community, need to commit to doing everything we can to eradicate lead exposure," Burkett's mother, Shannon Burkett, said.
Mayor Eric Adams has appointed a new citywide lead compliance officer to monitor different city agencies and how they're dealing with the problem.
The city says it has reduced childhood lead exposure by more than 90% since 2005.
