By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – Missouri children who live in high-risk areas for lead poisoning can now be tested at birth, instead of waiting until they're six months old.
Governor Bob Holden signed legislation Tuesday in St. Louis that expands the state's testing program.
He says state officials will still test kids under six years old once a year.
"We want to do it in a more timely fashion," Holden said. "We want to do it more often, where appropriate. It's just important that we identify children that have lead poisoning as early as possible, and we work to mitigate it and solve it as quickly as possible."
Holden also signed several other environmental bills.
They renew hazardous waste fees, change the state agency that regulates underground storage tanks, and give landowners along bike trails immunity from some civil lawsuits.