lead levels

Lawmakers in both parties overwhelmingly supported requiring Missouri schools to test and filter children’s drinking water.

A provision that would limit the amount of lead allowed in school drinking water to five parts per billion has been tacked onto an education bill.

Missouri would stand apart from Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska by requiring testing and remediation.

Dicen los investigadores que incluso una pequeña cantidad de la toxina puede dañar el desarrollo de los niños. Un estudio realizado en el año 2021 encontró que los niños en Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska y Missouri tenían una de las tasas más altas de los niveles elevados de plomo en la sangre.

Kansas and Missouri have some the nation's highest rates of elevated blood lead levels in children, leaving families to deal with health consequences. Plus, bird flu is sweeping the Midwest.

There is no safe level of lead in children's blood, according to researchers. Yet, the toxin persists in the Midwest because of the way infrastructure and homes were built.

Researchers say even a small amount of the toxin can harm kids’ development. One 2021 study found Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri had some of the highest rates of elevated blood lead levels in children.

Health officials say there is no safe level for exposure among children.

Kansas State University will use land plots in Kansas City for its study to find ways to reduce and stabilize lead in the soil, a threat especially dangerous to children under the age of six.

Lead levels in some Kansas City kids are 9 times higher than the national average. A new study by Kansas State University researchers is looking for cheaper ways to reduce lead exposure in soil.