CINCINNATI — Toxic chemicals, including chloroform and benzene, were found in the basement of an Over-the-Rhine low-income housing complex in 2023. Some of these buildings on Back and Hamer streets housed laundry and dry-cleaning operations decades ago.
The discovery came as part of a lawsuit filed by former tenants of Preservation of Affordable Housing, or POAH, who accused one of Cincinnati’s largest low-income housing providers of making them sick from mold exposure.
“Chloroform is harmful to the central nervous system and to the respiratory system, the same thing with benzene,” said attorney Jedidiah Bressman. “Once they knew that there was an issue, they had a duty to make sure that their residents were safe.”
The WCPO 9 I-Team has been reporting on poor living conditions, including rats, sewage backups, mold, no hot water and inoperable stoves at apartments owned by POAH since July 2025. In the aftermath, the city began inspecting all POAH’s more than 900 residential units.
Bressman sued POAH in Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas last year on behalf of tenants Nicole Humphrey and De’Naisha Shepard, who lost two infants in a span of two years to sudden infant death.
Bressman received the 2023 test results from POAH as part of the discovery process, or exchange of information, before a lawsuit goes to trial in 2027. Cincinnati-based Terracon Consultants performed the testing at the adjoining, connected apartment complex where Humphrey and Shepard lived near Grant Park.
“What they found, dating all the way back to January 2023, so about seven or eight months before the first infant death, was that there were elevated levels above the Ohio EPA’s standard for chloroform and benzene. They also found three other chemicals,” Bressman said. “What ultimately the report says is it was above laboratory reporting levels, and at certain points, there was a health risk for residential use but not for commercial use.”
Bressman specializes in toxic exposure cases but said he’s never had one with chloroform in a housing situation like this one before.
WATCH: WCPO 9's I-Team looks into toxic chemicals found in OTR POAH apartment complex basement
Chloroform is toxic if inhaled and is suspected of damaging an unborn child. It also damages organs through prolonged or repeated exposure, according to the lawsuit.
Benzene has hazards of coma and possible death due to respiratory failure. Other chemicals present at the site, such as butanone, target the central nervous system, kidney and liver, according to the lawsuit.
Sevara Davis, POAH Communities senior vice president and chief operating officer, declined an interview but sent a statement to the WCPO 9 I-Team.
“While POAH cannot comment on specific allegations or legal claims related to ongoing litigation, we can confirm that as part of routine due diligence, POAH engaged an independent environmental consultant to conduct a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment. The assessment concluded that any identified concentrations were below applicable Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) voluntary action program (VAP) residential air standards and OEPA-approved screening levels and therefore did not warrant mitigation of vapor intrusion or indoor air,” Davis said.
Terracon performed sub-slab soil gas and indoor air sampling in February 2023. Inspectors could not identify specific potential sources for the chemicals, which are typically associated with petroleum and dry-cleaning operations, according to the report, which was filed with the amended lawsuit filed in April.
However, the floor drain and sump were identified as potential conduits or preferential pathways for vapors to enter the basement. So Terracon recommended that the sump and floor drain in the basement of 1652 Hamer Street be sealed.
Bressman said he doesn’t know if POAH ever sealed them, but noted that Shepard’s HVAC unit was in the basement.
“These vapors that are coming from these volatile chemicals, they don’t just stop at the doorway,” Bressman said. “They go through any open path. So, if these were in her basement and her HVAC unit is down there, … that is a way for it to get into her home and to affect her and her children.”
He said he wants Judge Alison Hatheway to order POAH to turn over any other tests performed at the site. He also wants his experts to conduct more testing of the buildings, but he said POAH has refused.
“The response so far has been we’re going to turn over these units; we’re going to put people back in there, and we’re not going to let you test, and we’re not going to hold it for you to test,” Bressman said.
While Bressman’s clients no longer live in these POAH apartments, he said he's concerned about future tenants and the safety of any employees and contractors.
After the I-Team report last year, Cincinnati began inspecting all of POAH’s more than 900 units and forcing repairs.
POAH owns and maintains 18 properties comprised of 190 buildings with 928 residential units in Greater Cincinnati.
As of April 22, city inspectors had issued active violations at 102 POAH units; the City’s Department of Buildings and Inspections had completed 215 re-inspections and POAH had corrected approximately 500 violations, according to a city spokesperson.
POAH had paid $27,000 in reinspection fees, with an additional $4,000 pending, as of April 22.
“As of April 2026, the city has completed all inspections. More than 80% of residential units are compliant, with the remaining units in the process of reinspection following repairs,” Davis said.
To date, POAH has invested $5 million in renovations to its residential units in Cincinnati, with a team of four contractors working to renovate aging properties since October 2025. Renovations will continue across POAH’s Cincinnati portfolio through 2026, Davis said.
In December, another mother sued POAH, blaming her 4-year-old son’s breathing problems on exposure to toxic mold. Mariyah Varner’s case is pending in the U.S. District Court in Cincinnati.
Over the past year, POAH has addressed resident concerns regarding safety in Over-the-Rhine by hiring four full-time security guards, covering 39 properties and installing more than 30 security cameras, Davis said.
“Our team of 40 local professionals in Cincinnati will continue to work closely with our residents, local government and our non-profit partners to improve the quality of life for all our residents,” Davis said.
