New Zealand Couple Discovers Lead and Gets Stuck With Huge Bill

February 17, 2015- When a New Zealand couple bought a new home recently, they didn’t expect to have much trouble selling their old house. But just as they were about to move into their new place, they received shocking news: The ground surrounding their old property in Kirwee was riddled with lead.

The couple had nearly finalized the sale of their Kirwee home when the buyers checked the LIM report. It showed that their Kirwee property had been occupied by blacksmiths from 1884 until the 1970s. The report showed the property had been placed on the Listed Land Use Register (LLUR).

The Singhs decided to get soil testing done, hoping the results would come back clear. Unfortunately, results showed lead levels as high as 740mg/kg, more than three times the national standard of 210mg/kg. The new buyers decided to pull out.

The couple was then faced with legal fees to get out of buying their new home, as well as not selling their Kirwee home. In addition, the cost to remediate their property could add up to thousands of dollars. When the couple asked if the district had funds to help pay for lead removal, they were given bad news. Selwyn District Council staff visited their property, but told the couple that it's up to them to fix.

Read the full stuff.co.nz post here.

Carnow Conibear and Associates is a demonstrated leader in the occupational and environmental health professions since 1975. To find out more, click here or call us at (800) 860-4486.