Document k60RmM1K98wa6ngJ35aaRarK0

6A &i. taut* Tbur*., Fek.4, 1971 4 City Officials Named in Legal Aid Lead Poison Suit there have been no convictions *y OUSttS STAKES Is Wane by the health sr Wf A Wealth Department spoke* Globe-Democrat StaM Writer ifeg departments.'. pud said toe first cases for The Legal Aid Society ffied euit Wednesday -- oe behalf of 'three mothers -- against three city ihipeilnnel heads end the It further afiegde that sect$ home la found Id ttoteta the lad onflnaftcq, referral to the building dtpartmtnt far j| no tice of violation to toe owner prosecution are due for trial next week. The ordinance requires toe owner of record to remove lead-based paint and plaster on City counselor, sieging they often causes delays which alio* .4 dwellings interior in excess of have poorly administered and children |o be further poisoned. t per <c e n t concentrates, or enforced tic city'* lead poppet fucktiwitz is"'.iumed hi top I#ce condemnation of the struc- Control ordinance. - *6tf' on the basis of enoffidel ttre and fines of between $100- Named defendants in tfceec- tests conducted by-community Ifeo and imprisonment for sot tion are: Health Commissioner health workers at St Louis Uni htore than 30 days. Dr Will ia ic C. BantonJr.; versity, who .-found lead-based SSince the city begat) large Bu.lding Commissiooer Kenneth paint on playground equipment srale testing ior lead poisoning 0. Brown; Paris, .Recreation at a public h o u i i a g pr jm and Forestry E>irector Lottie W- Haary Frepnd, legal aid ti.- Buckowitz; and City Counselor Ri>bert Van Dillen. aey taid The Globe-Democrat. The suit Is on behalf of Mr*. HOHMD SAID the suit seeks Kathrtne Willis, 1323 North Van- a court-ordered step up in prosd e e n t e r ve.; Mra. Mary lCUtion of owners . Who do ndt M>ts, 1635 Madison st.; aad Tnng dwellings into compliance Mrs Mary Wooten, 1805A Prti- Within the M-day grace period after notification, and seeks last spring through Jan. 1C oi tin.- year. 13*5 children have been tested -- 18$ of them found to have been poisoned, and 587 others were found to have "dangerous" lead levels. When -informed of the suit. Dr. Banton remarked; "A! ! can say is that toe health div rte at*. AM said they have chil preventive and, exgpaiwi test sion is doing the best it can with dren who have bees poisoned ing of children aad lmmea. limited resources. I don't have bv lead-based paint and plaster - 7b* defendants fre ordered the answer of how you raise $16 around their homes. to show cause Feb. II Wore million dollars ( the City has THE PLAINTIFFS are repres e a t a t i v e * of the Coalition Against Lead Poisoning and North Side Parents Against Lead Poisoning, two compninity action groups. GSraat Judge Gary Geeotoer, udty.-a court-ordered w r i t of dompHaace shotdd not be jfrahted-' The lead ordinance was en acted last Mey. but to date projected a $6 million budget deficit this fiscal year, and an other $10 million deficit for fis cs' 72)" Bunion said St. Louis' and The Mb alleges that home inspections te determine if lev els of lead is the home violate toe ordinance are otdy done aft er a child is reported poisoned, end no preventive home testing high infant mortality rate is more serious than lead pe^- ning in his judgment, but agreed that lead poisoning was a crucial problem. Attempts to reach the other officials named as defendants were unsuccessful