BALTIMORE, Md. — He grew up in Baltimore, and for years, Kshawn Burrell never realized the lead paint surrounding him in his apartment was poisoning him.

“Well, I had the experience when I was like 15,” said Burrell, “and it takes an impact on me today and, you know, it’s hard for day-to-day life to deal with certain things.”

The impacts of lead poisoning have been well-documented for decades now, which adds to the shock of a 43-year-old Maryland-certified inspector named Rodney Barkley pleading guilty to criminal charges for issuing fake lead paint certificates.

Guilty plea in bogus lead paint inspections

The Maryland Department of the Environment has invalidated more than 14 hundred of them.

“In many of those instances, in most, right, gave people comfort that they either lived In o

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