Landlord, painters faulted on lead paint

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Attorney General William Sorrell says a Newport couple who own rental properties will spend $150,000 to mitigate lead paint problems in their properties and make an additional $15,000 in payments to housing programs and the state.

The agreement with Douglas and Vivian Spates was one of two settlements related to lead paint announced by Sorrell. He also said painting contractors Herbert and Karen Thayer had agreed to use safe work practices in removing lead paint, or run the risk of having to pay a $10,000 penalty.

Sorrell notes that low levels of lead poisoning in pregnant women and children can cause reductions in IQ and have been associated with school failure, delinquency and criminal behavior.

The Thayers were faulted for water-blasting the exterior of a Montpelier building. Sorrell says that showered a neighbor’s property with paint chips, including windows and gardens, with no plastic sheeting to cover the area.

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