Fort Lee Among N.J. Towns With Most Kids Sick With Lead Poisoning

You’d think that lead poising would have gone the way of polio since lead was required to be removed from paint in 1978.

But in New Jersey, it’s a problem that still exists.

Elevated levels of highly toxic lead have been found in more than 3,100 young N.J. children this year, and a N.J. Spotlight report says that number is on pace to rival last year’s total of 3,599 children under 6 years old with high lead levels. About 225,000 young children in New Jersey have been afflicted by lead since 2000, according to the report.

“It’s amazing to me that no one’s doing anything about it in New Jersey,” Elyse Pivnick, environmental health director at Isles Inc., a nonprofit community development and environmental organization based in Trenton, told N.J. Spotlight.

Here is where the report says the problem lies:

“Almost eight years ago, then-Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed a law requiring inspections at many one- and two-family rentals to make sure they’re lead-safe.

But the state Department of Community Affairs did not carry out the law, which required inspections for lead-paint hazards at least every five years. Only multiple dwellings with three or more units are inspected now, according to the DCA.”

“New Jersey has shifted at least $53.7 million -- money earmarked for its Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund for removing lead in homes and other poisoning-prevention efforts -- into its general fund through the state budget process since 2004.”

State law requires dwellings of three units or more to be inspected.

Bottom line: If your housing unit is not on this searchable N.J. Spotlight database list, you may have a home that has lead exposure, and could put your family - particularly your children, at risk of lead poisoning - click to find out:

Lead Free or Lead-Exempt Dwellings

Here are the N.J. towns with the most reported cases of lead poisoning during fiscal year 2013-14 for children and adults ages 6 to 26 months old:

1. NEWARK 5228
2. LAKEWOOD 4474
3. JERSEY CITY 3869
4. PATERSON 2706
5. ELIZABETH 2045
6. PASSAIC 1761
7. TRENTON 1576
8. CAMDEN 1268
9. PLAINFIELD 1138
10. IRVINGTON 1005
11. EDISON 967
12. CLIFTON 942
13. NEW BRUNSWICK 935
14. ATLANTIC CITY 870
15. PERTH AMBOY 838
16. UNION CITY 798
17. EAST ORANGE 745
18. WEST NEW YORK 711
19. VINELAND 663
20. TOMS RIVER 652
21. NORTH BERGEN 617
22. HACKENSACK 580
23. BAYONNE 508
24. UNION 507
25. BLOOMFIELD 499
26. PISCATAWAY 483
27. EGG HARBOR 465
28. WEST ORANGE 446
29. HOBOKEN 445
30. LINDEN 438
31. BELLEVILLE 420
32. WAYNE 411
33. NORTH BRUNSWICK 404
34. HAMILTON 402
35. HILLSBOROUGH 399
36. BRICK 393
37. KEARNY 392
38. BRIDGEWATER 376
39. FREEHOLD 360
40. OLD BRIDGE 353
41. CHERRY HILL 342
42. TEANECK 318
43. EAST BRUNSWICK 283
44. MONTCLAIR 276
45. FORT LEE 264
46. JACKSON 263
47. MIDDLETOWN 253
48. SAYREVILLE 244
49. HOWELL 243
50. PENNSAUKEN 236
51. GALLOWAY 222
52. EWING 191
53. MANALAPAN 175
54. MOUNT LAUREL 161
55. FRANKLIN 144
56. GLOUCESTER 111
57. MARLBORO 110
58. MONROE (Middlesex County) 93
59. PARSIPPANY-TROY HILLS 71
60. SOUTH BRUNSWICK 63
61. MANCHESTER 45
62. WINSLOW 40
63. WOODBRIDGE 37
64. MONROE (Gloucester County) 31
65. WASHINGTON 27
66. BERKELEY 26
67. EVESHAM 22

Here is the list of towns with most lead poisoning cases involving children under 6 years old:

1. NEWARK 14,030
2. JERSEY CITY 8,605
3. LAKEWOOD 7,659
4. PATERSON 6,407
5. ELIZABETH 4,921
6. PASSAIC 4,433
7. TRENTON 3,421
8. PLAINFIELD 2,802
9. IRVINGTON 2,705
10. PERTH AMBOY 2,035
11. CAMDEN 2,029
12. EAST ORANGE 1,896
13. CLIFTON 1,888
14. UNION CITY 1,873
15. EDISON 1,786
16. NEW BRUNSWICK 1,747 A
17. ATLANTIC CITY 1,738
18. WEST NEW YORK 1,717
19. NORTH BERGEN 1,342
20. HACKENSACK 1,206
21. BAYONNE 1,204
22. TOMS RIVER 1,190
23. VINELAND 1,175
24. BLOOMFIELD 1,071 UNION 1,032
25. KEARNY 963
26. BELLEVILLE 939
27. LINDEN 908
28. PISCATAWAY 863
29. WEST ORANGE 849
30. HAMILTON 814
31. EGG HARBOR 769
32. HOBOKEN 752
33. WOODBRIDGE 743
34. NORTH BRUNSWICK 714
35. BRICK 682
36. OLD BRIDGE 605
37. WAYNE 566
38. FREEHOLD 563
39. BRIDGEWATER 525
40. HILLSBOROUGH 520
41. TEANECK 519
42. MONTCLAIR 515
43. CHERRY HILL 503
44. EAST BRUNSWICK 471
45. SAYREVILLE 460
46. JACKSON 457
47. FORT LEE 450
48. PENNSAUKEN 390
49. GALLOWAY 381
50. HOWELL 369
51. MIDDLETOWN 344
52. EVESHAM 320
53. MANALAPAN 297
54. FRANKLIN 250
55. MOUNT LAUREL 208
56. MARLBORO 187
57. GLOUCESTER 145
58. SOUTH BRUNSWICK 128
59. MONROE (Middlesex County) 123
60. PARSIPPANY-TROY HILLS 119
61. MANCHESTER 92
62. WINSLOW 81
63. BERKELEY 46
64. MONROE (Gloucester County) 42
65. WASHINGTON 40

Federal law requires that landlords must disclose known information on lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards before leases on pre-1978 housing units take effect. Sellers have to disclose known information on lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards before selling houses.

The state’s “Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Law” says a dwelling unit in a single-family or two-family dwelling shall not be subject to inspection and evaluation for the presence of lead-based paint hazards, or for the fees for such inspection or evaluation, if the unit:

• has been certified to be free of lead-based paint;
• was constructed during or after 1978;
• is a seasonal rental unit which is rented for less than six months’ duration each year;
• or has been certified as having a lead-free interior by a certified inspector.