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Longwell Company reaches settlement with EPA for violations of lead-based paint rules

Release Date: 05/15/2007
Contact Information: Javier Morales, 206 553-1255, morales.javier@epa.gov or Tony Brown, 206 553-1203, brown.anthony@epa.gov

Tenants not informed of lead paint hazards; residents included young children

(Lynnwood, Wash. – May 15, 2007) The Longwell Company, a residential apartment building owner and manager in the Seattle metro area has reached a $2,259 settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for alleged violations of EPA’s lead-based paint disclosure rules.

As part of the settlement, the Company has also agreed to perform a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP), valued at $150,000. The Project will include the replacement of existing windows, window frames and sills, sliding doors and sliding door frames with new lead-free fixtures at the Pinewood Square Apartments, located at 6500 208th Street Southwest, Lynnwood, Washington. Today’s action settles two complaints filed earlier, one at the Sunset Vista Apartments in Renton, Washington in April 2006 and one at the Breakwater Apartments in Des Moines, Washington in July 2006.

According to Rick Albright, EPA’s Director of the office of Air, Waste & Toxics in Seattle, persons selling or leasing pre-1978 housing are obligated to inform parents how they can protect their children from the health hazards associated with lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards.

“Having children suffer lead poisoning from deteriorating paint is an avoidable tragedy,” said Albright. “By agreeing to the special project, Longwell Company is taking a positive step to reduce the hazards of exposure to lead in the housing they lease.”

Federal rules require that sellers, owners and lessors(including property management firms, and agents) of pre-1978 housing to disclose information regarding the existence of lead-based paint at the property to all prospective buyers and tenants. By requiring such disclosure in advance, buyers or tenants are better able to make informed decisions about protecting their children and themselves from lead exposure.

Lead is a highly toxic metal that was widely used for decades in many products found in and around apartments and single-family homes. Lead poisoning can cause a range of health effects, from behavioral problems and learning disabilities, to seizures and death. Children six years old and under are most at risk, because their bodies are growing quickly.


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For more information about EPA’s Lead Program:
https://www.epa.gov/lead/
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