GROTON, Conn. — Housing providers at Navy bases in Connecticut and Maine failed to notify military families about potential hazards from lead-based paint, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday.
Northeast Housing LLC and Balfour Beatty Military Housing Management LLC face a possible fine of $153,070 for allegedly violating disclosure laws at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn., and at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, the EPA said in a news release.
Housing at both bases is owned by Northeast, a joint venture between the Navy and Balfour Beatty Communities LLC.
Three renters in Groton and 10 in Portsmouth were not provided with available records and reports regarding lead paint, according to the EPA. Seven of the renters had families with children younger than 6.
Balfour Beatty, which manages more than 2,100 units of military housing at the two bases, said Tuesday that the EPA complaint relates to 13 leases executed from 2008 to 2010. It said those residents were told of the presence of lead-based paint in their homes, but they were not given a full list of reports.
In a statement, the company said any failure resulted from an administrative error on its part. It has reinforced to employees the importance of completing all documentation when executing leases, it said.
A spokesman for the submarine base, Christopher Zendan, said the base is not aware of military families reporting lead poisoning-related medical issues but will work with the Navy and Balfour Beatty to address health and safety concerns associated with private housing.
While most newer structures do not have lead-based paint, an estimated 38 million homes built before 1978 contain some lead-based paint. If not detected early, high levels of lead exposure can damage the brain and nervous system, lead to behavioral and learning problems such as hyperactivity, or cause slow growth.
Lead also can cause reproductive problems, high blood pressure, nervous disorders and memory problems in adults.
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