Grand Rapids leaders want to take a harder stance on lead levels, introducing a new proposal for lead-based paint inspections.
At the city commission meeting on Tuesday, commissioners discussed amendments to the Property Maintenance Code on rental properties.
The code requires a dust screening for lead in residential properties built before 1978.
"At its heart, it's it's the dust that is in homes that transfers the lead into the child's body and that's the route of exposure in our communities by and large, not water," Grand Rapids Lead Programs Specialist Paul Haan told FOX17.
Grand Rapids leaders say this proposal can help reduce lead exposure among children, which can cause several health issues.
"Some impacts on their organs, brain development, cognitive development, delay speech," Healthy Homes Executive Director Jameela Maurn said.
Deck Andrejczak owns five rental properties in Grand Rapids. He says he supports some of the changes but would like some alterations when it comes to the rental certification process.
"If we've already passed it, why do we have to pass it again? That's where the concern comes in. Because if you make it recurring, the $200 charge, that's going to be on the low end for these costs," Andrejczak told FOX17. "And it's just gonna get passed to the tenant, and it makes us have to raise prices to the tenants."
"And what that does, is it really makes sure that routine maintenance has been happening between inspections. Some of these inspections don't happen, but once every six years," Haan said.
The Kent County Health Department tracks lead levels in children, and the data shows the largest known portion of elevated blood lead levels are within urban areas in Grand Rapids.
"So even though the current threshold is 3.5, there is no safe level of lead in the body at all. And we believe that lead poisoning is 100% preventable," Maun added.
Once the lead is in the body, it's there forever.
Andrejczak adds if community leaders want to get the lead out, he hopes the city eventually takes the proposal beyond rentals.
He says that homes sold should also be included in those checks for lead dust.
"Because kids live in those houses too," Andrejczak said.
This proposal is still early in its process. The city plans to hold a public hearing on this issue during the next city commission meeting.
