PHOTO: CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF Housing NZ tenant Chelsea Bullen had her home stripped of lead-based paint – but it was done without her knowledge.
Concerns have been raised for the welfare of thousands of families living in Housing New Zealand properties with lead-based paint.
An Official Information Act request revealed that more than 80 per cent of Housing NZ properties – approximately 52,383 homes – have lead-based paint in some form.
Senior lecturer for Auckland University’s school of chemical sciences Dr Viji Sarojini said Housing NZ should strip all its homes of lead-based paint to minimise any risk.
“The issue with lead itself is that it is poisonous,” Sarojini said. “It is also an environmentally-persistent chemical.”
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