Hazards of Lead-Contaminated Soil May Be Hidden In Plain Sight Long After Factories Have Been Abandoned & Forgotten

From a USA Today investigative report:

• Government regulators were warned a decade ago about more than 400 forgotten lead smelting firms that operated in the 1930s to 1960s and may have deposited dangerous levels of lead contamination in nearby soil. Yet the EPA and state officials have left families and children in harm's way, doing little to assess the danger around many sites, USA TODAY's 14-month investigation found.

For more, see Ghost Factories-Poison In The Ground: A government's failure to protect (Many people are aware of the risk of lead-based paint in older homes. Less known is that your home could be surrounded by lead-contaminated soil, even if you don't live near an old factory site. Lead particles can build up in the top few inches of soil from several sources: lead-based paint, factory emissions and exhaust from vehicles that once burned leaded gasoline). Environmental Protection Agency EPA foundry smelter