Lead Poisoning

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.

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.

Steve Mahfood, former director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, says Herculaneum’s not-so-distant past stands as a compelling reminder of how community members and state officials can band together to hold a polluter accountable.

President Joe Biden has proposed additional money for superfund cleanups, which could speed progress at contaminated sites.

The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates there are at least 330,000 lead pipes funneling tap water into Missouri homes and other buildings — the sixth-highest of any state in the nation.

In St. Louis, there are many stories about how environmental racism impacts everyday people and their health, housing, and daily lives. So in this season, we’ll use the Washington University Interdisciplinary Environmental Law Clinic’s 2019 report on Environmental Racism in St. Louis to guide us through conversations about the top environmental issues facing the most vulnerable communities in St. Louis. In this episode, we look back at how St. Louis’ history of systemic racism has impacted the living environments of low-income and Black residents, how the report featured stories of everyday people, and what type of environment the report’s recommendations could create for the next generation.

In this episode, we introduce you to two Black artists who teamed up to heal and educate their community through an urban farm in predominantly Black North St. Louis City. They share their vision for building an education garden with accessible raised beds, and growing flowers and healing herbs alongside chickens and bees. Then we learn about how they encountered a major obstacle that put their dreams on hold...