Fellowship Story Showcase
How the ‘Toxic City’ investigation has protected Philadelphia children from environmental perils
Toxic City is supported by grants from the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, the University of Southern California Center for Health Journalism, and the Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism.
Other stories in this series include:
Despite recent cleanups, Philadelphia schools still expose kids and teachers to asbestos
Philadelphia school kids will get added protections from lead paint perils
Solving the mystery of Room 106
New test: 10.7 million asbestos fibers on floor at Philadelphia elementary school
Danger: Learn at your own risk
In booming Philadelphia neighborhoods, lead-poisoned soil is resurfacing
State Sen. Hughes finds money to help fight Philly's lead paint scourge
Philly's shame: City ignores thousands of poisoned kids
Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to eliminate lead from Philadelphia schools faces opposition
The Inquirer
Sunday, January 27, 2019
After two years of reporting and $15,000 in scientific testing, the five-part “Toxic City” series has made Philadelphia cleaner and safer for kids in their homes, outdoor play spaces, and schools:
Four new protective laws; 770 landlords fined; $15.7 million in emergency school repair funds; more than 700 visits by health inspectors at addresses in neighborhoods with high rates of childhood lead poisoning; $900,000 in additional city money to protect kids from lead paint in their homes; nearly 10 acres of lead-contaminated land slated for cleanup in the city’s “river ward” neighborhoods; 3,400 children learning in eight newly repaired “lead safe” schools, with 38 more to be cleaned of lead paint in coming months.
Here are some questions and answers about what city, state, and school officials have accomplished in the wake of the Inquirer’s “Toxic City” investigation, and some shortfalls that remain.
Your project on lead paint in rental homes showed how landlords like NFL Hall-of-Famer Marvin Harrison flouted a 2012 law that required them to certify their rentals were “lead free” or “lead safe” before renting to young families with children ages 6 and under. Has the city started enforcing this law, as promised?
Not completely. The city each year issues 80,000 rental licenses, covering roughly 220,000 rental units. That number doesn’t include thousands of landlords who fly under the radar and never bother to get rental licenses. While the city has started a campaign to crack down on landlords who fail to comply with the lead paint certification law, the majority of landlords still are not in compliance. One major problem, city officials say, is that landlords hide behind limited liability corporations. But that’s about to change. Earlier this month, the city passed a law, introduced by Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, that requires corporations with rental licenses to disclose the name and address of at least one of the officers so the city can pursue violators.
You wrote that the city hadn’t collected a single fine against any landlord who failed to certify rentals as “lead free” or “lead safe” as required by law. Has that changed?
Yes. Since our story first exposed this shortcoming, the city has collected more than $67,000 in fines for more than 770 violations, letting landlords know they face consequences for lead safety violations.