The city of Baltimore has joined as a plaintiff in litigation against the owners of the TV Hill transmission tower in Woodberry, a neighborhood where a repainting job dispersed lead paint chips into the surrounding community.
Baltimore Brew reported that the city joined in hopes of strengthening the case against the tower owners — but meanwhile has its own lead problem to clean up.
Here's what to know
A case Woodberry residents filed over contamination from the TV Hill transmission tower now includes Baltimore City as a plaintiff.
The suit stems from what the Baltimore Brew described as a "botched repainting project" that scattered toxic lead paint flakes across the neighborhood.
The Brew noted, though, that Baltimore has its own unresolved lead-paint issue. It started when orange paint began chipping off three city-owned bridges in cold weather.
Lead levels cited by the news outlet were notably high at all three locations: 27,300 mg/kg near the Orleans Street bridge overpass by Guilford Avenue, 63,500 mg/kg below the Jones Falls Expressway's Exit 8 off-ramp at Clipper Mill Road, and 180,000 mg/kg below the 28th Street Bridge at Falls Road.
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According to The Brew, the most noticeable piles have been removed, but paint flakes have still been found in soil and grass, on rocks, and in the water of the Jones Falls.
More background
All this leaves the city of Baltimore demanding cleanup from private defendants in one dispute while still facing scrutiny over lead paint coming off bridges it owns.
Lead paint chips and dust can persist outdoors and spread through soil and nearby water, raising exposure concerns, especially in communities already burdened by aging infrastructure and public health threats.
Lead is widely recognized as a particular danger to babies and young children, for whom exposure may significantly affect development.
What's being done?
By joining the TV Hill case, Baltimore is placing itself alongside residents who have sought cleanup and accountability. According to The Brew, officials have said the point of entering the suit is to force remediation.
In a press release, Mayor Brandon Scott said companies doing this kind of work should not put residents "in harm's way."
Meanwhile, the city doesn't appear to have laid out plans for the bridges yet. The reported test results are severe, and continued peeling at the sites suggests the problem has not yet been fully contained.
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