Upper Darby, PA’s Sixth-Largest Municipality, Passes Lead Ordinance Unanimously
CONTACT: Kristi Del Grande
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UPPER DARBY, PA- Only 24% of children in Delaware County are screened for lead poisoning, yet the county ranks 7th in PA for the number of children poisoned each year. Upper Darby, the state’s sixth-largest municipality, with about 85,000 residents, has the county’s highest lead poisoning rate.
Last night, Upper Darby Township Council voted unanimously to pass a lead prevention housing ordinance, prioritizing the long-term safety of the community’s children.
“Lead poisoning remains one of the most serious yet preventable environmental health hazards affecting children. The purpose of this ordinance is straightforward: to identify and address lead-based hazards before children, families, residents, homeowners, and other occupants are exposed to preventable harm,” said Amrinder Singh, Director of Licenses & Inspections and Chief Building Official for Upper Darby Township.
The ordinance requires all rental properties to be tested and certified lead-safe or lead-free at license renewal, all homes to be certified at the time of transfer, and all childcare facilities to be certified at license renewal.
The Lead-Free Promise Project, a growing coalition of nearly 80 statewide organizations dedicated to ending lead paint poisoning in Pennsylvania, recognized the Township for the unanimous passage of the ordinance.
“This ordinance is not a financial burden to landlords or homeowners. It is an economic and moral win that protects public safety,” said Rosemarie Halt, Co-chair of the Pennsylvania Lead-Free Promise Project. “It is time to stop having our children be the canaries in the coal mine in detecting unsafe levels of lead in apartments, homes, and childcare centers.”
Pennsylvania continues to rank high for a wrong reason by having the second largest number of children who test positive for lead poisoning each year among all states. Effects of lead poisoning, an invisible threat, can rob children of their future by causing irreversible brain and nervous system damage, learning difficulties, and behavior problems — and there are not nearly enough resources to help suffering families.
Upper Darby is the 11th municipality in Pennsylvania to pass a lead ordinance. The others include East Lansdowne, Yeadon, Chester, Norristown, Philadelphia, Lancaster City, Pittsburgh, Colombia, Borough of Lansdale and Millvale.
Lead-Free Promise Project launched its nearly 80-organization coalition in 2021 with the goal of removing lead paint-based hazards from homes and ensuring all children are screened for lead poisoning as part of a comprehensive wellness exam. Learn more at https://paleadfree.org/.
LFPP is part of ThrivingPa.org, a nonpartisan, statewide campaign that seeks to improve the quality of and increase equitable access to a coordinated system of health supports, including access to comprehensive perinatal health services, children’s health insurance, nutrition supports and lead screening and abatement.