The riot that roiled the streets of West Baltimore on April 28 may have had its origin 20-plus years earlier when a little boy ingested paint flakes in his poorly maintained row house.
Freddie Gray, Jr. occupied the dwelling with his mother, older sister and twin sister from the time he was 2 years old until he was 6. From 1992 to 1996, the boy had six tests on his blood that revealed lead levels ranging from 11 to 19 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL). At that time, any value above 10 was considered toxic. Today, any lead level is considered dangerous.
Dr. Clif CleavelandThe boy’s sisters also had elevated levels, and they both received treatment and followed dietary guidelines specific for children with lead toxicity.
Growing up, Gray experienced educational and behavioral problems, which were blamed on lead exposure from the walls of his home. Other cases of lead poisoning have been reported from the same neighborhood. Even today, surveys of blood lead levels from children from infancy to age 6 show that almost 7 percent of the children in Gray’s neighborhood have elevated blood lead levels compared to less than 1 percent average for all of Baltimore.
In 2008, Gray’s family filed a lawsuit against the property owner. A settlement was paid to the family in 2010. The property owner had defended other suits from tenants in the numerous properties that he owned in Baltimore.