Toxic structures: Speculation and lead exposure in Detroit’s single-family rental market

• Published in: Health & place Vol. 64; pp. 102390 - 10
• Main Authors: Eisenberg, Alexa, Seymour, Eric, Hill, Alex B., Akers, Joshua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2020; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Blood levels; Children; Economic crisis; Foreclosure; Housing; Housing market; Income; Investors; Landlords; Lead content; Lead poisoning; Lessors; Low income areas; Low income groups; Ownership; Property; Sales; Speculation; State court decisions; Taxation; Toxicity; Detroit Michigan; United States > US
• ISSN: 1353-8292; 1873-2054
• DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2020.102390

Foreclosure sales permitted investors to purchase large volumes of low-cost residential properties after the last financial crisis, reshaping patterns of property ownership in low-income housing markets across the US. This study links post-foreclosure property acquisitions by investor landlords to subsequent lead poisoning cases among children under age six living in Detroit, Michigan. We find that the odds of exhibiting elevated blood lead levels (≥5 μg/dL) are higher for children living in investor-owned homes purchased through tax foreclosure sale. These findings highlight the potential for property speculation in post-foreclosure housing markets to exacerbate severe and racialized burdens of excess lead toxicity in low-income communities. •Landlord practices influence lead exposure risks in low-income rental markets.•We use local data to identify rental housing bought by investors via foreclosure sale.•Investor ownership is associated with greater risk of childhood lead poisoning.•Property speculation can exacerbate inequitable burdens of childhood lead toxicity.