ORDINANCE NO.______, SERIES 2022
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AN ORDINANCE CREATING CHAPTER 167 OF THE LOUISVILLE/JEFFERSON COUNTY METRO GOVERNMENT CODE OF ORDINANCES REQUIRING PROPERTY OWNERS TO REMEDY LEAD HAZARDS LEAD ABATEMENT OF IN ALL RENTAL HOUSING UNITS IN LOUISVILLE METRO. (AMENDMENT BY SUBSTITUTION)(AS AMENDED)
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SPONSORED BY: COUNCIL MEMBER CASSIE CHAMBERS ARMSTRONG
WHEREAS, Louisville Metro Government and Louisville Public Health and Wellness ("LMPHW") are committed to achieving health equity and improving the health and well-being of all Louisville Metro residents and visitors;
WHEREAS, lead is a neurotoxin that causes lasting damage to many biological systems including nervous, circulatory, endocrine, immune, renal, skeletal and muscular systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC");
WHEREAS, the World Health Organization and other experts advise that no blood-lead level is considered safe, especially among children under the age of 6;
WHEREAS, the CDC and other public health bodies warn that even low-level chronic lead exposure is known to profoundly impede a child's development of cognitive abilities, language and reading skills, impulse control, concentration, and physical growth;
WHEREAS, the CDC, National Institutes of Health, and other organizations report that early lead exposure has been shown to have life-long negative impacts, with links to lower educational attainment and income, increased rates of exposure to the carceral system, and a variety of adverse health conditions in adulthood;
WHEREAS, CDC research has shown that lead poisoning results from contact with lead contained in soil, dust, and paint;
WHEREAS, the national ban on lead-based paint in 1978 means housing built before that time poses a significantly higher risk of lead hazard exposure;
WHEREAS, of the nearly 120,000 occupied rental units in Louisville Metro, approximately 65% were built before 1980, and 24% w...
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