New Yorkers are rightly alarmed at the ease with which an inspector who was licensed to test buildings and construction sites for lead or asbestos risks got away with filing hundreds of false reports for at least a decade. The Bloomberg administration says reforms that were already in progress when the deception was uncovered will make it less likely to happen in the future.

But the jaw-dropping scope of the fraud carried out by just one inspector raises legitimate concerns about city oversight. It also raises the possibility of collusion between builders and property owners and the inspectors they hire to perform legally required safety tests.

The inspector, Saverio Todaro, who was at one point certified by city, state and federal agencies, operated a company through which he claimed to perform environmental inspection and testing services, including lead clearance testing, asbestos air monitoring and asbestos inspection in the New York City area. Favorable reports allow property owners to certify that their apartments presented no lead risks to young children or that proposed demolition projects would be asbestos-free. That means they do not require special filings with the city or costly abatement efforts.

As William K. Rashbaum reported in The Times on Tuesday, Mr. Todaro submitted results for more than 200 buildings and apartments, including some renovated for the city’s affordable housing initiative, without performing a single test.