Twenty Manchester residents are suing one of New Hampshire’s largest landlords for lead contamination in their apartments.
The Lofts at Mill West is a mixed commercial and luxury residential property on the Merrimack River in Manchester. Brady-Sullivan Properties owns it, as well as other properties all over New England. When Brady-Sullivan hired a contractor to do sandblasting in May, lead dust filled more than three-quarters of the units above, where children and at least one pregnant woman live.
Now 20 residents – and possibly more to come – are suing both the landlord and the contractor. Chris Seufert, their attorney, says Brady-Sullivan endangered its tenant’s lives.
"The lead contamination is pervasive in this building," says Seufert. "It’s a toxic waste dump at this point."
Measurements in one apartment were 680 times greater than what the Environmental Protection Agency deems safe.
State officials confirm this is New Hampshire's biggest lead exposure case in recent history. City, state and federal officials are overseeing the cleanup. Brady-Sullivan's attorney put the blame for the lead contamination squarely on the contractor.
