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New Hampshire Landlord to Spend $28,000 to Settle Lead Paint Violations

Release Date: 04/20/2005
Contact Information:

Contact: David Deegan, EPA Office of Public Affairs, (617) 918-1017, deegan.dave@epa.gov

For Immediate Release: April 20.2005; Release # dd050405

The former owner of fourteen apartments in Franklin, N.H. will pay a $6,125 fine and undertake environmental projects worth $21,950, settling claims that it failed to inform tenants about the possible presence of lead paint in their buildings, as required by federal law.

According to EPA’s New England regional office, Jason Grevior, doing business as GREMAR Inc., violated the federal Residential Lead-based Paint Hazard Reduction Act by failing to follow rules requiring disclosure of potential lead hazards to prospective tenants. The company also violated provisions of the Toxics Substances Control Act. The various violations took place between Feb. 3, 2001 and May 27, 2003.

“Lead paint threatens the health of children across New England, but it is a threat that can be avoided,” said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA’s New England Office. “Property owners and landlords play an important role in preventing lead poisoning by following lead paint disclosure requirements so that families with young children are aware of potential lead hazards.”

If not detected early, children with high levels of lead in their bodies can suffer from brain and nervous system damage, slowed growth, hearing problems, behavior and learning problems. Adults with high lead levels can suffer from difficulties during pregnancy, high blood pressure, nerve disorders, memory problems and muscle and joint pain.

According to the settlement, the company will spend $15,000 to place an advertisement on several local cable TV stations discussing the requirements of the Lead Paint Disclosure Rule. This ad will run in the Franklin area 227 times per week for 12 weeks. The advertisement will publicize Disclosure Rule requirements in remote, hard to reach rural areas such as Franklin, where there is still much older housing stock that may contain lead based paints.

The company will also spend $6,950 to replace 14 windows containing lead-based paint in a building located in Franklin. The building, though not owned by GREMAR, does house children and was identified by the N.H. Dept. of Health and Human Services as needing new windows. The window replacement will remove lead paint hazards from windows in two apartment units and render the units safer for children.

Recent monitoring shows that the community of Franklin, N.H. has had a higher percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels than the state average. In 2002, 13.1 percent of children screened in Franklin had elevated levels of lead in their blood, as contrasted with a statewide average of about 3.6 percent.

The case is among more than a dozen lead-related civil and criminal cases EPA New England has taken since launching an initiative to make sure landlords, property owners and property managers are complying with federal lead disclosure laws. The initiative has included more than 150 inspections around New England, as well as compliance assistance workshops.

Federal law requires that sellers and landlords selling or renting housing built before 1978 must provide an EPA-approved lead hazard information pamphlet, called "Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home"; include lead notification language in sales and rental forms; disclose any known lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards in the living unit; and provide available records to prospective buyers or renters, prior to signing purchase and sale contracts and lease documents.

More information on lead paint disclosure requirements and other issues regarding lead is available at: https://www.epa.gov/ne/enforcement/leadpaint/index.html . More information on health issues related to lead is available at: https://www.epa.gov/lead/ .

Related Information:
Internet Training Course: Lead Safety for Remodeling, Repair, and Painting (EPA HQ)
Lead Poisoning, Lead Paint, etc.
Lead Paint Enforcement Program
Lead Paint Disclosure Rules