States await lead tests
Cincinnati Enquirer – Government officials in several states and cities are expanding investigations or warning residents of health threats from forgotten factories that spewed toxic lead dust in neighborhoods decades ago. A U.S. senator on Monday called for a Senate hearing on what can be done.
Actions are underway in at least 14 states in response to a USA Today investigation, published last month, that revealed government regulators did little to protect the public from lead “smelter” factories that operated from the 1930s to 1960s. The Environmental Protection Agency was given a list of the smelter sites in 2001 but little has been done at many of them. Children are at greatest risk, suffering lost IQ and other health issues from ingesting lead particles by putting dust-covered hands or toys in their mouths.
