Today I want to discuss an issue that I have been dealing with over the last couple months.
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| My windows look nothing like this, btw. |
Background:
I have been living in my apartment since 2010. All that time, I have had a great relationship with my landlord. However, in 2014, my then three-year-old daughter had a blood test that revealed lead poisoning.
The doctor is a mandated reporter and reported the issue to the CDC which in Maine is under the umbrella of the Department of Health and Human Services. The CDC sent a licensed inspector to inspect the apartment. What was found, according to the guy at the CDC, was a little dust on a windowsill. The inspector came back a month later, reinspected the apartment, and we never heard anything more about it.
Subsequent blood tests showed that her lead levels decreased rapidly, and I never received any further updates on the matter.
Out of the Blue in 2026:
About two months ago, the CDC sent my landlord a new letter signed by Crystal Arbour, the program manager of the Maine CDC's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. The letter stated that there was an abatement order from 2014 that was never resolved, and that they wanted to send another inspector to check for lead paint in my apartment, and if anything was found, the abatement order would be enforced.
He is quite upset about this and of course blamed me.
My girlfriend recently moved in with her 15-year-old. He figured that one of us must have reported the apartment or had another blood test that revealed lead in the blood or something.
They wouldn't just pull a file and start harassing him over a decade later. However, that's exactly what they did.
Here we are today:
So, I reached out to the CDC myself because it was causing a big problem. I called and spoke to Crystal Arbour, the program manager, about this matter.
I said, "there are no small children living here. My daughters blood levels went down quickly after that one spike. The place is clean and safe. There have been no further issues, so why is she doing this 12 years later out of the blue?"
Her response, "We have to make sure that the building is safe incase any other small children move in." She went on to say that she would enforce the issue with my landlord, who is now all up in arms about it.
Oh My God!!! What a bitch. The woman is completely unreasonable. She is all high and mighty, riding in on a high horse. She's gonna save the world, with a bullwhip in her hand and a hair across her ass.
I really don't like the idea of the state deciding to send one of their system sucks, or rather a person who makes their living off of state agency contracts, to inspect my home without a warrant or anything. Apparently, it's not my decision.
Now, because this has caused an issue between myself and my landlord, who believed that I was responsible for them contacting him, I emailed Crystal Arbour demanding clarification.
October 20, 2026
Dear Ms. Arbour,I am writing to respectfully request clarification regarding the recent contact made with my landlord David Wagabaza, concerning a lead investigation originally conducted in 2014. I am copying my landlord and my State Senator to this email because the circumstances surrounding this matter have led to significant confusion, stress, and misunderstandings.
To be absolutely clear, neither I nor my girlfriend initiated any complaint, report, request for inspection, blood lead testing referral, or any other action that would have caused the Maine CDC to revisit this property. My girlfriend has only recently begun residing here and likewise had no involvement in triggering any review of this property.
My understanding is that the original investigation occurred in 2014. Following the initial inspection, a follow-up inspection was conducted later that same year by the same lead inspector. To our knowledge, after that follow-up inspection, no further action was taken and the matter appeared to have been resolved.
Because your office contacted my landlord approximately twelve years later without any apparent new complaint, elevated blood lead level, reported hazard, or other triggering event, my landlord has understandably been attempting to determine why the file was reopened. Unfortunately, this has led to the mistaken belief that either I or my girlfriend contacted the State and requested an inspection or otherwise caused this matter to be revisited.
The resulting situation has caused a substantial amount of unnecessary stress and anxiety. My landlord has expressed concern that someone associated with the property may have initiated a complaint, and both my girlfriend and I have found ourselves under suspicion despite having no involvement whatsoever in the reopening of this matter. We have been placed in the position of trying to explain an action that we did not initiate and for which we were given no prior notice or explanation.
Under these circumstances, I respectfully request that you contact my landlord directly and clarify that neither I nor my girlfriend initiated this renewed review, requested an inspection, filed a complaint, or otherwise took any action that resulted in your office revisiting this file. A clear statement from your office would help correct the misinformation currently circulating and alleviate a significant amount of unnecessary tension and concern.
I would also appreciate any clarification you can provide regarding what specifically prompted the decision to reopen and review a file from 2014 after such a lengthy period of apparent inactivity.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Patrick
I received the following response.
Dear Mr. :
Crystal Arbour informed me of your request for additional clarification around the reasoning for Maine CDC’s pursuing the 2014 Order to Abate Lead Hazards. I am including your landlord for awareness, given that you included him in your original email, and he is the property owner. Please see the following, which provides background:
- Maine CDC is working diligently to identify any cases in its records with open Orders to Abate Lead Hazards at our agency. The dwelling where you live has a long-standing Order to Abate Environmental Lead Hazards. Staff turnover, resource shortages, and other obstacles led to Maine CDC’s current effort to investigate the status of any open and unresolved Order to Abate Lead Hazards listed with Maine CDC. This current effort prompted by Maine CDC program priorities and resources equipped to identify these longstanding cases and fulfill the agency’s duty to follow up on these Orders to Abate that never seemed to be abated as required. The time lag is unfortunate, but Maine CDC is committed to addressing these cases, to avoid future lead poisoning cases.
- To create an accurate picture of the current state of lead hazards at each property, Maine CDC is taking steps to contact each property owner with open Orders to Abate Lead Hazards where time has elapsed, and no updates or closure occurred. The only way Maine CDC may accomplish this goal is to order a new lead investigation (inspection) to see if lead hazards exist right now.
- Maine CDC hereby states that this current outreach to perform updated lead inspections for any properties with long=outstanding Orders to Abate did NOT originate from any complaint from you or any other tenant or individual. This effort stemmed from programmatic operational policy decisions from Maine CDC alone, in its commitment to protect public health and meet Maine’s goal to eradicate childhood lead poisoning by the year 2030. (See 22 M.R.S. § 1314-A).
- This property you live at is only one of several properties that Maine CDC is in the process of contacting, to order a new inspection. Results of each case’s lead inspection will inform Maine CDC’s next steps, which lead to one of two general directions:
(1) Maine CDC may lift the Order to Abate and close the case, if no current environmental lead hazards are identified; OR
(2) Maine CDC may work with the property owner to learn of abatement plans, if a new lead inspection identifies lead hazards. The owner may pursue an extension, and Maine CDC has discretion in granting an extension. If no extension is granted, then Maine CDC may pursue appropriate enforcement to address the violations against the property owner, under the Lead Poisoning Control Act (which is that the property owner did not abate the lead hazard by the Order’s deadline).
Maine CDC is authorized to inspect properties for environmental lead inspections and pursue enforcement actions under Maine’s Lead Poisoning Control Act (Title 22 M.R.S. Chapter 252), as well as Maine Rules Relating to the Lead Poisoning Control Act (10-144 C.M.R. Ch 292).
This fortunately verified that I had nothing to do with it, and it's just the state playing God.
Anyway, my landlord is hiring his own guy to come inspect the building, that is apparently happening this Monday. Hopefully all goes well. We shall see.
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| Um, what he said. |
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